'3^ 









0° ^ 






o_ 



.^^i^>. '"^.- 



.o^\ 









vV 



■^^ .<^^' 



^^ . 












<■ -^ , X * .A 



,x^^' "^^■ 



^^ c 



5^'^/V v^^'""^ ^-^ 









^.^f/H, 



,X^^P 



■a «4d 



/-. ^ 



.A^"' "^ 



-^^ 



^^ 








Wh 


■I 


^-f- 

"^. 






' (':, 




V. 


^ .0 M 






















^ 






>^ " 


<r ^ 




- ,rO • 




-..# 






^: 


\\<^ '^f. 








..^^, 










■^^ 


• "^^j^^" 


\ 




<b 


'i> 






•^ 


. ^ ' -^ 


<^' 




^0. 


K 






v\V '^V. 



^Q^^ 



.^^'' •^': 












.'.W 


■^ 






\s^ 


# 




"■^o 


^ 


'■.' 


.^ 


^^. 










~"-^'" 


/^-^ 








_ \ IB , 






J- 


%.'' oTo\<> 


^ 

> 


^^. 


. . .... ^V' y 


o -' ,0' 






^ - "" 










?.- ^-■.- 








A 


"^^"y-. 


^'-^ 




•k .^ 


^^ , 






.^^^ 


^ «> 


■ft ^ 








r- 









.^^^ 



% s"^ 



THE 



AEMY OF THE GEEAT KING; 

SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS 
MISCELLANEOUS PIECES, 

AND 

POETIC MUSINGS. 



BY 

J. M. O R R O C K. 



BOSTON: 
PUBLISHED BY J. V. HIMES, 

CORNEK OF KKEELAKD A^D HUDSON STS. 

1855. 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by 

JOSHUA y. niMES, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 






oL 



Stereotyped by 

nOBART & ROBBINS, 

New England Type and Stereotype Foundery, 



PREFACE, 



The following pages are not designed foi the eye 
of the critic, but for the heart and conscience of read- 
ers generally. The origin of the work may be briefly 
stated thus : In the autumn of 1844 (when I was 
little more than fourteen years of age), the Lord was 
pleased to bring me to a saving knowledge of the truth 
as it is in Jesus. In the prospect of the speedy com- 
ing and kingdom of our Lord,. I was led to give myself 
to God, as I trust, in an everlasting covenant; and 
from that time I felt that I was not my own, but 
" bought with a price, even with the precious blood 
of Christ," and that I ought to devote myself to the 
service of Him who loved me and gave himself for 
me. Accordingly, during the past ten years, I have 
occasionally employed my leisure moments in writing 
articles for the press, and these pages are, in part, the 
result. Several of the pieces have appeared at different 
times in religious papers, and are now offered to the 
public in a more permanent form; while a number of 
the articles do now for the first time appear in print. 
This work must not, therefore, be regarded as one 
recently written, but as being, in the main, a juvenile 



IV PREFACE. 

production. It is now sent forth with the prayer that 
the Chief Shepherd may bless it to the good of some 
souls, and that it may be the means of cheering some 
lone pilgrim in his journey through the Land of Dark- 
ness toward the inheritance of the saints in light ; and 
that it may be 

** As pleasant books that silently among 

Our household treasures take familiar places ; 
And are to us as if a liying tongue 

Spake from the printed leaves as pictured faces. 

** Therefore I hope, as no unwelcome guest, 

At your warm fireside, when the lamps are lighted, 
To have my place reserved among the rest, 
Nor stand as one unsought and uninvited." 

IMagog, C. E., Dec. 1st, 1854. 



CONTENTS, 



THE ARMY OF THE GREAT KING. 

PACE 

CHAPTER I. — The Land of Darkness and its Occupants, 7 

II. — A Discourse of the King's Messenger, 19 

III. — The State of the World, and the Dawn of Day, ... 26 

SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

SERMON I. — On Hearing the Word, 38 

II.— The Manner of Hearing the Truth, 43 

ni. — The Duty of Prayer, 48 

IV'. — On Quenching the Spirit, 5G 

V. — Religious Joy, 63 

VI. — On Prophecy, 72 

VII.— The Ark on the New Cart, 79 

VIIL— The Flock of God, 86 

IX. — All Things working for the Believer's Benefit, .... 92 

X.— All Things made New, 103 

XI. — Who shall Inherit all Things, 112 

XII.— The Number of the Saved, 127 

A Chapter for Thinking Ones, ■ . 13> 

MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

The Man Christ Jesus, 141 

Seeing Afar Off, 145 

Consolation for the Lonely, 147 

The Coronation Day, 150 

A Girdle for the Mind, 152 

A Brand Plucked out of the Fh-e, 154 

Take my Yoke upon You, 155 

God's Manner of Teaching, 157 

Thoughts on the 23d Psalm, 158 

1* 



VI ^ CONTENTS. 

"That Day," 160 

Pollow Me, 164 

Growth in Grace, 165 

Ou Doing Justly, 163 

The Cleansing Blood, 170 

Our Altar and its Sacrifices, 174 

The Chariots of God, 177 

The Final Separation, 182 

The Fii'st and the Last of Earthly Kingdoms, 185 

The Attitude of the Church, 188 

On the Government of the Tongue, 194 

Thoughts and Scraps, 195 

POETIC MUSINGS. 

The Two Mountains, 197 

Looking Forward, 200 

A Christian's Faith, i205 

The Deathless City, 205 

Be of Good Courage, 207 

Home, 208 

Rooted in Christ, 209 

Confidence in God's Grace, , , . . 210 

Lines on Sleeping in Meeting, 211 

The Moon Shining on the Water, 212 

My Times are in Thy Hand, . 213 

If a Man Die shall he Live Again ? 213 

Christ Alone our Rock, 214 

When Jesus Comes the Shadows will Flee, 215 

The Cross without a Screen, 216 

The Lily among Thorns, ^ 217 

Nature, Grace and Glory, 218 

Wm and Wear It, 219 

Lines on Mrs. Atwood's Death, . . ' 220 

Death of Mirabeau, ....'. 220 

The Voice of my Beloved, 221 

The Morning Star, • 222 

Come, Lord Jesus, ., 223 



THE ARMY OF THE GREAT KING. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE LAND OF DARKNESS AND ITS OCCUPANTS. 

At one time, as I journeyed through the land 
of the Great King, I lighted on a certain place, 
among a strange people ; and, as I must necessa- 
rily be detained among them for some time, I 
resolved to make myself acquainted with their 
history of the past, their present condition, and 
hopes of the future, — at least, so far as my cir- 
cumstances would admit. 

When I arrived at the place of which I speak 
it was nio^ht. The sun had lonoi: before set behind 
the western hills, darkness covered the land, and, 
in many places, gross darkness the people. The 
darkness, however, was not in every place of the 
same density. On some places the stars shone 
down brightly, and the air- was cool and pleasant. 
But on high mountains, whose sides were*covered 
with trees of abundant foliage, darkness reigned. 
There trees had fallen, and deep caverns lay con- 
cealed. Many a weary traveller lost his way on 



8 THE ARMY OF THE GREAT KING. 

the hills, and, while seeking for light, his feet 
stumbled on the dark mountains, and he fell to 
rise no more. Wide-spread valleys in other places 
existed, \yhose bosom was covered with trees and 
poisonous plants, where innumerable serpents and 
wild beasts found a home. As no traveller could 
pass through these valleys without great danger, 
and exposure to death itself, they were called by 
the inhabitants of the land ^^The Valleys of the 
Shadow of Death.*' 

I observed that the people generally had a light, 
by the aid of which they performed the work in 
which they were engaged. Some had lamps, which 
were curiously constructed. These lamps were not 
invented and made in the land of which I am 
speaking, — they came from a heavenly country. 
They were lighted at the throne of the Great 
King, sent into the land of darkness, and freely 
offered^to all who would accept of them. Those 
who received them rejoiced in the light which 
they afforded, and were often heard to exclaim, 
''Thy word is a light to my feet and a lamp to 
my path/*' I thus learned that those lamps were 
called ''The Word of God.'' It was no uncom- 
mon thing for those who possessed them to sing 
in the night. Some of the words of a song which 
fell on my ears were these : ' * Unto the upright 
there ariseth a light in the darkness ; " and, again, 
" Light is sown for the righteous and gladness for 
the upyght in heart." But I was surprised to 
see that the multitude rejected these lamps, and 
kindled a fire of their own, in the light of which 
they '\?7alked. This was very displeasing to the 



THE LAND OF DARKNESS. 9^^ 

Great King, and, though they apparently pros- 
pered for a season, at last their light went out, 
and they lay down in sorrow. Of this the Great 
King had warned them, saying, ^'The light of 
the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his 
fire shall not shine. The light shall be dark in 
his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out 
with him.'' 

As I was desirous of knowing whether the sun 
had ever shone on this region, or whether the 
light from the stars and lamps was all the Great 
King had ever given this land, I drew near to a 
person somewhat advanced in years, whom I saw 
standing with a lamp in his hand, and questioned 
him on this point. I saw, by the light which his 
lamp shed, that he was a person of more than 
ordinary intellect. His eye was bright ; his voice 
clear and pleasant, while his free, open counte- 
nance bespoke him a man of true friendship. lie 
kindly requested me to be seated, and thus ad- 
dressed me : 

''Young man, you are evidently a stranger 
here, and the place, doubtless, seems to you to be 
gloomy in the extreme ; hence I do not wonder at 
the question you have asked. I can give the in- 
formation you desire. This land belongs to the 
Great King whose residence is in the far country, 
where all is light and gladness. He made it, by 
his almighty power, for his own pleasure. When 
it first came from his hand it was beauteous to 
behold. Then the sun shone upon it, and so 
lovely was the face of nature, that the Creator 
pronounced it ^ very good,^ Then the morning 



10 THE ARMY OF THE GREAT KING. 

stars sang together, and the sons of God, who sur- 
rounded the throne of the Great King, when they 
saw it, shouted for joy. There were no gloomy 
caverns and deep pitfalls then ; no stormy winds, 
nor howling tempest there ; no ravening wolves, 
nor devouring lions, for all animals were harmless 
as a dove. That was a golden age. 

'^ If there was any place on this fair earth more 
beautiful than another, it was the garden of Eden. 
It was intended to be the dwelling-place of our 
forefather while he continued to obey the mandate 
of the Great King. Our first parents were placed 
in a state of probation. They were left to the 
freedom of their own will. Life and death were 
set before them. They had their choice, either to 
dwell in light or in darkness, in sunshine or in 
sorrow. In an evil moment they yielded to the 
temptation of Diabolos, and partook of the forbid- 
den fruit. They were consequently driven from 
Eden's bowers. The sun, which had hitherto shone 
so clearly, disappeared behind the distant hills, 
and the sable mantle of night was thrown around 
the earth. 

'^ Notwithstanding the failure on the part of 
man, compassion and long-sufiering dwelt in the 
bosom of the Great King. He spake kindly to 
man, and promised in due time to send his own Son, 
who should open up a way for man's salvation, and 
the restoration of the earth to its pristine beauty. 
When the fulness of time had come the Son ap- 
peared in our world. The Prince of Darkness and 
his legions gathered around him, and took him and 
put him to death. But he arose from the dead as 



THE LAND OP DARKNESS. 11 

a mighty conqueror, and ascended to the palace of 
the Great King, to receive for himself a kingdom, 
and to return. Before he went away he not only 
promised to come back again, but gave us work to 
do during his absence. He gave us the lamps which 
w^e carry, and by the light of which we labor, and 
promised that Avhen he shall return all those who 
trust in him shall be exalted to inherit glory. • 

* Gloomy and dark the night has been, 
And long the way and dreary ; 
And sad the weeping saints are seen, 
And faint and worn and weary.' 

"All who dwell in this land belong to two great 
armies that are being gathered. One army belongs 
to the Great King, and the other to the Prince of 
Darkness. The time of the final conflict is rapidly 
approaching, and, in the opinion of many of us, is 
nigh at hand. For one, I expect that day will 
soon daw^n over the eastern hills, and the Sun of 
righteousness arise wuth healing in his wings. 

" And now I must leave you,'' said my friend, 
rising from his seat by my side. '' Duty calls me 
to go elsewhere ; but, as all those who bear lamps, 
profess to belong to the army of the Great King, 
you may converse with them, and they vrill tell you 
Avhat they expect to receive when the day breaks." 
So saying, he bade me adieu for the present. 

Shortly after he left, I saw before me a com- 
pany of lamp-bearers, some of whom were em- 
ployed in digging graves, others in preparing cof- 
fins. Some were making shrouds, while others 
were burying the dead. On entering into con- 



12 THE ARMY OF THE GREAT KING. 

versation witli them, I learned they were looking 
for day. Said I^ -'For what day is it you look?'^ 
With one voice they answered, ^'The day of 
redemption. Our parents have begn borne to 
the grave. Our nearest and dearest friends have 
been consigned to the tomb, and we are a company 
of mourners. Our land is one vast charnel-house ; 
bftt the Great King has promised that when he 
comes there will be a resurrection of the just.'' 
At that moment a wail of deep anguish fell upon 
my ear. I turned to look to the place from 
whence it proceeded, and saw before me a group 
of persons standing in a light of their own kin- 
dling. One of their number had lost a companion. 
Her heart was filled with sorrow because of her 
loss. She murmured against the Great King for 
suffering Death to cut down the husband of her 
youth. She refused to be comforted, because he 
was not. Hence the piercing cry to which I had 
listened. From such a sad scene I turned away 
my eyes, and gazed again upon the company by 
my side. I observed the silent tear roll down the 
cheeks of many. They keenly felt their loss, but 
sorrowed not as others without hope. 

Not far from me, on my right, I saw another 
company carrying lamps. As I approached them, 
I heard one of their number say, '' Weeping may 
endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morn- 
ing.'' I concluded that these were also mourners. 
As they were travelling, I asked them whither 
they went. They replied, ''To a city of habita- 
tion. We have heard of a land w^here the inhab- 
itants will not say, 'I am sick,' and we want a 



THE LAND OF DARKNESS. 13 

home there. The road over which we now jour- 
ney is rough and uneven, and sometimes our feet 
are bruised and bleeding ; but, when we reach the 
city, a few leaves from the tree of life will make 
them Avell again. Soon we expect the morning to 
dawn, when the Great King will send forth his 
angels and gather us unto himself: and we want 
to be found of him in peace, — standing with our 
loins girt about with truth, and our lights burn- 
ing, and we ourselves like unto those who wait for 
their Lord.'' Having spoken these words, they 
went on their way. 

There was one thing about the lamp-bearers, 
with whom I had thus far conversed, which par- 
ticularly interested me, and made a deep impres- 
sion on my mind ; and that was, they were all 
looking for the speedy appearing of the Great 
King, and the dawn of day. Wishing to know on 
what ground their expectation was based, I felt 
anxious to inquire of some one. About this time 
I again saw my aged friend approaching me with 
his lamp, which appeared to burn brighter than 
before, and I questioned him in relation to this 
matter. Said he, " There are many evidences on 
which our hope is built, among which we have the 
following : 

'' Fii^st. The Great King was pleased to reveal 
to his servant Daniel the fact that five universal 
kingdoms were to exist on the earth. Four of 
these were to be in some measure subject to the 
Prince of Darkness, and measure the night of the 
world. The fifth was to be the kingdom of the 
day, and be governed forever by Prince Immanuel. 
2 



14 THE ARMY OF THE GREAT KING. 

As the four kingdoms have arisen as predicted, the 
last must speedily give place to the kingdom of the 
Great King. 

^^ Second. A long time ago, Abraham, Isaac, 
Jacob, and many more lamp-bearers, looked for 
day, but saw it in the distance. ' These all died 
in faith, not having received the promises, but 
having seen them o/ar off^ and were persuaded 
of them and embraced them, and confessed that 
they were pilgrims and strangers on the earth.' 
Ages afterwards, the apostle Paul, authorized by 
the Great King, exclaimed, ^ The night is far 
spent, and the day is at haiid.^ Such tidings 
were cheering to the hearts of many weary ones, 
and they got the impression that the day would 
immediately dawn. The apostle corrected this 
error, and gave them to understand that the day 
was not actually impending, and would not come 
till the apostasy had set in, and that Man of sin 
been revealed, whom the Lord will consume with 
the spirit of his mouth, and destroy with the 
brightness of his coming. As we say an event is 
at hand which is next in order, so Paul, standing 
in the last kingdom of the night, and speaking 
relatively, said, ' The day is at hand.' A long 
period has passed since the apostle spake these 
words. The apostasy has come, and it is a gen- 
eral opinion among the lamp-bearers, that the 
Power seated on the seven hills is the Lawless 
One of prophecy. Hence, as the hindrance to the 
day dawn which existed in the apostolic age has 
been removed, we are reasonably bound to look 
continually for the destruction of that apostate 



THE LAND OF DARKNESS. 15 

Power, by the brightness which shall attend the 
personal revelation of the Great King. 

^ ' Third. We learn from one of the messengers 
of the Great King that ' the path of the just is as 
the shining light, which shineth more and more . 
unto the perfect day.' And from another that, in 
^ the time of the end ' of this world's night, 
' many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall 
be increased.' From these statements we infer 
that our lamps will give more light the nearer we 
draw to the dawn of day. And it is admitted, by 
those w^ho have compared the light of the past 
with that of the present time, that the lamps give 
greater light now than ever before." 

^'But," said I, ''are all those who received 
lamps from the messengers of the Great King 
aware that their lamps now^ shine more brightly 
than ever? " 

^' No," said my aged friend ; ^' many to whom 
the lamps were given have neglected to use them. 
Some have set them down and forgotten them. 
Others are so engrossed in worldly matters that 
they see not the increasing light. It is only those 
who give heed to the sure word of prophecy that 
are benefited thereby." 

''I suppose, then," said I, '^ that there are 
many of the lamp-bearers who do not look for the 
speedy introduction of the day of redemption? " 

'' Yes," said he, ^- there are many such. Some 
are expecting a long period of moonlight before 
the day breaks. They hope the moon w^ill soon 
arise, and chase away much of the darkness and 
sorrow which cover the land, and that this long 



16 THE ARMY OF THE GREAT KING. 

time of light and peace shall be merged in the 
eternal day.'' 

*^Well, but on what can such a hope be 
grounded ? " I remarked. '^ Are there any prom- 
ises of the Great King which are supposed to 
teach such a doctrine ? '' 

'' Yes,'' he replied. ^' The King has promised 
that his kingdom shall come and his will be done 
on earth as it is done in heaven. — that his glory 
shall cover the earth as the waters do the channel 
of the great deep, — that the Prince of Darkness 
shall be bound and confined in the abyss, — and that 
then there shall be nothing to hurt nor to destroy 
in all the holy mountain; for the ransomed of the 
Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs 
and with everlasting joy upon their heads ; they 
shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and 
sighing shall flee away. All of which promises, 
I expect, will be fulfilled when the Great King 
comes, and the blessedness be enjoyed, not under 
the moonlight of earth, but under the sunshine of 
heaven." 

'^ There is one thing, however," he continued, 
'^on which the lamp-bearers generally are agreed; 
and that is, that, whether the period just before us 
is one of moonlight bliss or of sunlight glory, it 
will be introduced by a terrible conflict between 
the Great King and his army on one side, and 
the Fringe of Darkness and his legions on the 
other. The armies are already preparing them- 
selves for the battle. A crisis is approaching, 
and the Great King has sent his messengers to 
prepare his army for the final struggle." 



THE LAND OF DARKNESS. 17 

Here my instructor arose to depart, and, as ho 
did so, he gave me a book which he had in his 
hand, saying, '^This book, was written by the 
authority and under the supervision of the Great 
King. Its sayings are faithful and true. It 
abounds with promises which are virtually orders 
on the Bank of Heaven. Those who believe 
them are rich in good works, and heirs to an in- 
heritance which is incorruptible and undefiled, and 
that fadeth not away. Take the book, read it 
carefully, and it will do you good, for it is 
designed to show unto us the way of eternal life. 
' The true way of understanding it is by comparing 
passage with passage, text with text. As a dia- 
mond can be best cut by another diamond, so will 
one text resolve and explain another.' '' 

I received with gratitude the proffered gift, and 
began diligently to examine the contents of this 
sacred volume. I soon saw the correctness of a 
remark made to me by one of the lamp-bearers, 
^' There are shallows in it where lambs may wade, 
and depths in it where elephants may swim." 
Still I was not discouraged in its perusal. I saw 
mysteries in nature as well as in the book of the 
Great King; and being fully persuaded of its 
truthfulness, by the literal fulfilment of its pre- 
dictions relative to the past, I concluded to submit 
to its teachings. 

At one time, while meditating on the day so 
long expected by the good, and wondering whether 
the surrounding darkness would actually continue 
till the break of day, or be dissipated and removed 
by the rising of the moon, I opened my book on 

9^^ 



18 THE ARMY OF THE GREAT KING. 

the text, ^^We have also a more sure woi^d of 
prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed 
as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until 
the day dawn and the day-star arise in your 
hearts.'' Instantly the conviction was fastened 
upon my mind that the earth would remain a dark, 
filthy place till the dawn of day. And the more 
I read, the more I became convinced that such 
was the sentiment taught in the book. Such pas- 
sages as the following, among others, brought me 
to this conclusion: ^^In the latter times some 
shall depart from the faith." ''-Perilous times . 
shall come." " Evil men and seducers shall wax 
worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." 
^' In the world ye shall have tribulation." " Yea, 
all who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer 
persecution." " Let the tares and the wheat grow 
together till the harvest .... the harvest is the 
end of the world." "As it was in the days of 
Noah, and of Lot, so shall it be in the day when 
the Son of man cometh." And of the redeemed 
in glory, I read, '' These are they that came out 
of great tribulation." 



W4i 



CHAPTER II. 

A DISCOURSE OF THE KING'S MESSENGER. 

About this time it began to be noised abroad 
that a messenger of the Great King was about to 
visit that part of the Land of Darkness where I 
was, for the purpose of addressing the soldiers of 
the cross (for by that name the lamp-bearers 
were sometimes called), and to induce, if possible, 
some of the unhappy subjects of the Prince of 
Darkness to join the army of P^rince Immanuel, 
and thus become children of the light. Being 
desirous of hearing the discourse, I attended at 
the time appointed. The audience was composed 
of the soldiers of both armies, who apparently 
listened with candor and attention, Avhile, with 
persuasive earnestness, the messenger preached 
the gospel which he was commissioned to bear to 
a perishing world. 

Thinking that a brief synopsis of the discourse 
may be interesting, I will present a few of the 
leading thoughts which were advanced, satisfied, 
however, that the reader will not be able to feel 
the full force and power of the subject to which I 
had the pleasure of listening. The messenger 
chose as his text Revelation 17 : 14 : ^' These 
shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb 
shall overcome them : for he is Lord of lords and 



20 THE ARMY OF THE GREAT KING. 

King of kings, and they that are with him are 
calledj and chosen, and faithful." After referring 
to the coming struggle among the nations of the 
earth, and giving a brief description of the hosts 
which are being gathered under the Prince of 
Darkness, he proceeded to show from the text the 
characteristics of those who will constitute the 
army of the Great King in the decisive day. He 
remarked : 

^'I. They are called. 

•^The One by lohom they are called is the 
Great King. In making the call the most per- 
suasive language is used. Is the sinner weary 
and heavy laden ? He is invited to come and 
find rest. Is he thirsty, and his soul fainting 
wdthin him ? He is called to come to the waters 
of salvation, and drink and be refreshed. Is he 
w eak and sickly ? He is invited to buy wine and 
milk, even the most choice dainties. Does he say 
that he is poor and penniless, and, therefore, can- 
not buy ? He is invited to come without money 
and without price. Does he still urge that he is 
unworthy, and the blessings cannot be for him? 
The call is, ^ Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ! 
Yea, the Spirit and the Bride say Come. And 
let him that is athirst come. And whosoever to ill 
let him take the water of W^q freely.^ — Isaiah 55 : 
1 ; 45 : 22 ; Matt. 11 : 28—80 ; Rev. 3 : 20 ; 

21 : 6 ; 22 : 17. 

' ' The place from whence they are called is 
the present evil world. The command of the 
Great King is, ' Be ye not unequally yoked 
together with unbelievers.' On referring to the 



DISCOURSE OF THE KING*S MESSEXGEPv. 21 

law given by Moses to the Israelites, we find it 
written, ' Thou shalt not plough wnth an ox and an 
ass together ' (Deut. 22 : 10) ; which law was, no 
doubt, founded on a principle of mercy. As one 
animal is larger and stronger than the other, the 
burden would be unequally divided. Further- 
more, one animal was reckoned clean, and the 
other unclean (See Deut. 14 : 4 — 9), therefore, 
such a union would be unequal yoking ; and doubt- 
less it was in allusion to this ancient law that the 
Great King commanded us not to be unequally 
yoked with unbelievers. For ' what communion 
hath light with darkness ? Therefore, come ye 
out from among them, and be ye separate, saith 
the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I 
will receive you, and ye shall be my sons and 
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.' — 2 Corinth. 
6 : 14 — 18. ' Pure and undefiled religion before 
God even the Father is this, To visit the widows 
and the fatherless in their affliction, and to keep 
ourselves unspotted from the world.' — James 1 : 
27 ; 2 Peter 1 : 4. 

" The means by which they are called out of 
the world are the Spirit, the truth, the ministry, 
and the providential acts of our Great King. It 
pleases our King by the foolishness of preaching 
to save them that believe. As the wind blows 
upon the rocks and leaves them as hard as they 
were before, so the truth would fall on the minds 
of men and leave them unsanctified and unsaved, 
were it not for the gracious influences of the 
Spirit which accompany the word. 

" That to which they are called is a life of 



99 



THE ARMY OF THE GREAT KING. 



holiness here and of happiness hereafter. For 
' ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, 
an holy nation, a peculiar [or purchased] people ; 
that ye should show forth the praises of him who 
hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous 
light.' — 1 Peter 2:9. He hath called them to 
glory and to virtue. — 2 Peter 1 : 3. Hence they 
are required to w^alk worthy of the Great King 
who hath called them to his kingdom and glory. — 
1 Thess. 2 : 12. But 

•' II. They are chosen. 

'' They are elect according to the foreknowledge 
of God the Father, through sanctification of the 
Spirit unto obedience. 1 Peter 1 : 2. They are 
first called, then chosen or elected. Those who 
hear the gospel call, believe and obey, are the 
elect of God, and such ones are required to give 
all diligence to make their calling and election 
sure. — 2 Peter 1 : 10. Some are chosen in the 
furnace of affliction, and others on the plains of 
prosperity ; but, whatever situation in life the 
called may occupy, it is their present business to 
make sure their future blessedness, knowing that 
^ many are called, but few chosen.' Again, 

^^ III. They are faithful. 

/' Those who land on the shores of Felicity must 
sail in the ship Fidelity. They must be faithful 
to God, never deserting the standard of their Great 
King, nor betraying his cause. They must be 
faithful in the use of the means of grace, that they 
m.ay obtain the grace of those means. Yet they 
do not make an idol of the means. What would 
be the vy.lue of a casket without the jewel ? or, 



DISCOURSE OF THE KINQ'S MESSENGER. 23 

the benefit of a glass, without water, to a thirsty 
man ? And, surely, prayers and other religious 
duties would be of less value without the favor of 
the Great King. In his favor are life and peace 
for evermore. While it will be true of the re- 
deemed in glory, that they 'follow the Lamb 
w^hithersoever he goeth,' it is also true of the 
army of the Great King now. They endure hard- 
ness as good soldiers. They have enlisted for 
life. Their motto is. ^ Onward.' And he that 
endureth unto the end, and is thus faithful, the 
same shall be saved.'' 

After an earnest exhortation to the lamp-bearers 
to be faithful in the discharge of their duties, and to 
keep their lamps trimmed and burning, the mes- 
senger entreated those who had no lamps to come 
and receive them at his hands, to trust in the 
mercy of the King of Heaven, and to cease to rebel 
against Him — assuring them that the Great King 
would abundantly pardon all those who did so ; 
but, if they refused and rebelled, they would be 
speedily discomfited, and they and their leader 
consigned- to the dark abyss where hope and 
mercy never come. This appeal had its desired 
effect ' upon some. I saw them go forward, and, 
with tearful eyes, and a penitent heart, accept of 
the lamps, and take an oath that from henceforth 
they would be true and faithful to the King of 
kinoes. The in teres tin o; services were brouo;ht to 
a close by singing the following hymn, in which 
the aged and the youthful soldiers joined with 
equal fervor and devotion : 



24 THE ARMY OF THE GREAT KING. 

'^ Just as I am, without one plea, 
But that tliy blood was shed for me, 
And that thou bid'st me come to thee, 
Lamb of God, I come ! 

" Just as I am, and waiting not 
To rid my soul of one dark blot, 
To thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot, 
Lamb of God, I come ! 

** Just as T am ; though tossed about 
With many a conflict, many a doubt, — 
' Fightings within, and foes without,' — 
Lamb of God, I come ! 

*' Just as I am, — poor, wretched, blind, 
Sight, riches, healing of the mind, 
Yea, all I need in thee to find, — 
Lamb of God, I come ! 

" Just as I am, — thou wilt receive. 
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve ; 
Because thy promise I believe, — 
Lamb of God, I come ! 

'^ Just as I am, — thy love I own 
Has broken every barrier down ; 
Now to be thine, yea, thine alone, 
Lamb of God, I come ! " 

Not long after I attended the above mentioned 
meeting, the time came for me to leave the Land 
of Darkness and return to the place from whence I 
came. I regretted exceedingly that I could not 
remain longer, even till the break of day, as the 
interest on the subject of the speedy appearing of 
the Great King was increasing, and it seemed to 
be a general impression on the minds of commu- 



DISCOURSE OF THE KING S MESSENGER. 2o 

nity that ^^the great battle*' was about to be 
fought. However, Duty called, and I took my 
departure, carrying with me the Book which I 
received from my aged friend. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE STATE OE THE WORLD, AND THE DAWN OF 
DAY. 

After my return to my native place, I thought 
much of what I had seen in the Land of Darkness. 
Oftentimes the messengers of the Great King, the 
lamp-bearers, the fire-kindlers, the dark moun- 
tains and gloomy valleys, of that land would ap- 
pear before my mind, and, for a moment, I would 
seem to be there. One night, after having had 
more than usual thought during the day on such 
things, I fell asleep, and had a dream, in which 
the events that transpired in the Land of Darkness 
after my departure seemed to pass before me ; and, 
as the dream accorded so fully with what is writ- 
ten in the sacred book that I have in my posses- 
sion, I have concluded to continue my narrative 
by relating my dream. 

I saw in my dream that, after I left the Dark 
Land, the Prince of Darkness came down among his 
soldiers, having great wrath against the lamp- 
bearers, and used all sorts of deception to induce 
the soldiers of the cross to desert the post of duty 
assigned them by the Great King. Diabolos had 
formerly used persecution for the purpose of get- 
ting rid of those who carried lamps ; but he found 
it to be in vain, for the blood of the martyrs 



STATE OT THE WOULD AND DAWN OF DAY. 27 

proved to be the seed of tlie churcli. As a man 
will not drown Avhile his head is kept above water, 
so the church, which is the body of Christ, cannot 
drown in the dark waters of Persecution while 
Christ, the head, is safe in heaven, at the right 
hand of the Great King. This the Prince of Dark- 
ness, doubtless, knew, and therefore he employed 
other means, not so severe, yet no less ruinous 
and powerful. 

Mammox appeared before me, decked with 
jewels and glittering with pearls. In one hand he 
held a golden goblet, filled with a liquid which was 
pleasant to the sight and sweet to the taste, and 
of which his worshippers often drank, while with 
the other hand he pointed to the shining dust 
which many around him were gathering. As a 
lamp-bearer passed by, he held out his golden cup 
and invited him to drink ; but the soldier of the 
cross replied, "It was the woman^s golden cup 
which contained the most deadly poison ; '' and so 
he passed on. The Great King had warned his 
soldiers of this deception, thus : * • Take heed to 
yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be over- 
charged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares 
of this life, and so that day come upon you una- 
wares.^" Many heeded the warnings, and Avere 
safe ; but some loved the present evil world, and 
I observed that those who would be rich, fell into 
temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and 
hurtful lusts, erred from the faith, pierced them- 
selves through with many sorrows, and were 
drowned in destruction and perdition. 

I saw FashioXj in splendid attire. Her gar- 



28 THE ARMY OF THE GREAT KING. 

ments were costly and gay. She had enriched 
herself at the storehouse of Mammon. The golden 
chains, bracelets and jewels, which she wore, were 
an evidence of this. Her wardrobe contained 
many costly garments which were not used, as 
they were now considered unfashionable. On 
some of them the moths were at work. While 
many of the poor and destitute of the land stood 
shivering with cold, not far from Fashion's hall, to 
their cries for help she turned a deaf ear, for her 
heart was hard. I saw some of the lamp-bearers 
come near her. She offered them ^'gold," and 
they took it; ^' costly apparel," and they accepted 
it ; wreaths of flowers, and they wore them. But, 
when I saw the professed followers of Prince Im- 
manuel, whose head was crowned with thorns, 
w^earing wreaths of flowers, and gold, and costly 
array, I thought pride was in their hearts, and 
therefore they hung out the sign. — 1 Timothy 
2 : 9, 10 ; 1 Peter 3 : 1—4. And when I saw 
their lamps grow dim, and their hearts evidently 
unaffected with the truth, I felt sorrowful, even in 
my dream,- and exclaimed, "Shall not the King 
be avenged on such a people as this ? " 

Not far from the seat of Fashion, Pleasure 
had erected her throne. Her numerous, gorgeous 
halls were lighted with lamps which had been ob- 
tained at the workshop of Many Inventions. The 
gates of her halls were crowded with thousands 
who v/ere wont to listen to her voice. I heard 
gambling, horse-racing, dancing, and other things, 
named as amusements which she would furnish. 
To the weary lamp-bearers, whom she saw passing, 



STATE OF THE WORLD AND DAAVN OF DAY. 29 

she cried, ^' Come unto me, and I will give you 
rest." Some went ^' after her straightway, as an 
ox goeth to the slaughter. For she hath cast down 
many wounded ; yea, many strong men have been 
slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going 
do^vn to the chambers of death." The sacred 
book now seemed to be opened before me, and 
there I saw it written respecting the latter times, 
' • They shall be lovers of pleasure more than lov- 
ers of God ; " so I knew the day must soon dawn. 

But time would fail me, should I attempt to de- 
scribe all the plans of the Prince of Darkness, and 
make known all his devices against the Great 
King, as they were made known to me in my 
dream. Atheism and Deism appeared side by 
side in the ranks of Diabolos. Demoxology was 
called for, and he came and bound thousands in 
his iron chains. The Syrens sung their songs of 
'^ peace and safety," and multitudes fell asleep 
under their powerful influence. I heard the groans 
of the dying, the sighs of the widow, the cries of 
the orphan, and the murmurs of the oppressed ; 
and beheld nation warring with nation, fields cov- 
ered with the bodies of the dead, and waters red- 
dened with the blood of the slain. The shouts of 
the warrior, the clash of arms, and the roar of 
musketry, fell on my ears, while I saw gaunt 
Famine stalking over the land, followed by the 
Pestilence that walketh in darkness ; and when I 
inquired the cause of all this ''distress of nations 
with perplexity,"" I was answered, '' It is to satisfy 
the cravings of Ambition ! " 

I turned to look at the city which is seated on 
3^- 



30 THE ARMY OF THE GREAT KING. 

the seven hills, and from the lips of the Mother of 
Abominations I heard it said, '' I sit a queen, and 
am no widow, and shall see no sorrow ! " But she 
was drunken with the blood of the lamp-bearers 
whom she had slain, and with the blood of the 
martyrs of the Great King ; and when I saw her 
I wondered with great admiration. She swayed 
her sceptre over a large portion of the earth, and 
millions bowed to her commands. I saw fire issu- 
ing from the mountains, and I concluded that this 
great city was built on a smouldering volcano, and 
that a dreadful eruption was about to take place ; 
and in my dream I hastened away. 

It must not be inferred, from what I have said, 
that the subjects of the Prince of Darkness were 
the only ones who were busily employed. For, 
while Atheism and Deism numbered their thou- 
sands, — while Demonology exerted a baneful in- 
fluence on society, and multitudes crowded around 
the standard of Ambition, — while Popery and Ma- 
hommedanism counted their devout worshippers by 
tens of millions, and the darkest places of the earth 
were full of the habitations of cruelty, — and, while 
Mammon, Fashion and Worldly Pleasure were do- 
ing their destructive work, there were many loyal 
hearts that beat high in the cause of the soon-com- 
ino; Kins — a cause which was in their estimation 
(like Saul among the people) '' a head and shoul- 
ders " above every other. Such ones were truly 
strangers in the earth, and looked upon the present 
world very much as a man would upon an old suit 
of clothes which he is compelled to wear till he 



STATE OF THE WORLD AND DAWN OF DAY. 31 

gets a better suit. They loved the world to come, 
and were, therefore, citizens of no mean city. 

As the night drew to a close the anxiety of the 
faithful lamp-bearers for the dawn of day became 
more intense, and they were often heard to sing, 

*' How long, Lord, our Saviour, 
Wilt thou remain away ? 
Our hearts are growing weary 
Of thy so long delay." 

Some made calculations as to the time when the 
Great King would come, and were disappointed. 
Then they felt the force of the wise man's saying, 
^' Hope deferred maketh the heart sick,'' or sad. 
Still many of them clung to the promise, '' Yet a 
little while and he that shall come will arrive, and 
will not tarry," and, therefore, continued to do the 
work assigned them by their absent Prince. 

I saw in my dream that things went on much 
in their usual way, till the Great King actually 
appeared in his glory. He came at last unexpect- 
edly to many, and suddenly to all. Many lamp- 
bearers were true and faithful. Others had grown 
Aveary and left their post of duty for a season, in- 
tending to return and occupy it again before the 
King came ; but, alas ! he came too soon for them. 
The minister was in his study preparing for the 
pulpit ; the lawyer in his office preparing for the 
lawsuit ; the farmer in his fields ; the mechanic 
in his workshop ; the merchant in his counting- 
room ; the minstrel playing on his instrument ; all, 
all were at their usual occupation. The railroad- 
cars were in full operation : the lovers of Pleasure 



32 THE ARMY OF THE GKEAT KING. 

■were seen in the halls of Mirth; some were laying 
their plans for a great while to come, while others 
were retiring from business ; some were asleep and 
others awake ; some dying and some dead, — when, 
lo ! a light was seen. It continued to grow brighter 
and brio;hter. The sim of the Son of man was 
seen in heaven, — when suddenly the voice of the 
archangel was heard, louder than many thunders, 
yet' clear and distinct. That voice Avas heard by 
the occupants of the graves. In a moment, in the 
twinkling of an eye, the righteous dead were 
raised, and the righteous living changed from mor- 
tality to immortality, and both caught up by 
angelic beings to meet the Great King in the air. 

As they ascended I heard a shout of victory. 
And well might such a shout fall from their lips, 
as they bade an everlasting adieu to suffering and 
sorrow ! I saw in that blessed throng some who 
had been for a long season laid on beds of languish- 
ing ; some who had recently died, and others who 
had been buried during many watches of the dark 
night ; some had been poor, and others had other- 
wise suffered severely ; but they were all happy 
now. The change was sudden and surprising. I 
observed that the King greeted them all with a 
smile on their arrival at his side. And, with a 
*' voice as the sound of many Avaters,'* he ex- 
claimed, '' Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom 
prepared for you from the foundation of the 
world." 

The King, the angels, and the glorified lamp- 
bearers, now continued to ascend through the 
heavenly regions, until they came in sight of a 



STATE OF THE WOULD AND DAWN OF DAY. 33 

city, into which they entered. The city was 
beautiful to look upon, and lay four square ; its 
length was the same as its breadth. Its walls 
were of jasper. Its gates, twelve in number, were 
twelve pearls ; every several gate was of one pearl. 
There were three gates on each side of the city ; so 
that, whether the redeemed ones came from the 
east or from the west, from the north or from the 
south, they found three gates standing open to 
receive them; for the gates are not shut at all by 
day, and there is no night there. The street of 
the city was of pure gold, as it were transparent 
glass. The throne of the Great King and of his 
Son was in the midst of the city. From the 
throne proceeded a pure river of the water of life, 
clear as crystal. On either side of the river, and 
in the midst of the street, grew the tree of life. 
Its boughs were laden with fruit, which it yielded 
monthly ; twelve kinds in the season. The leaves 
of it were for the help, or service, of the nations 
of the saved. The city's light was brighter than 
that of many suns — pure, yet not dazzling. 
But language fails to describe the ineffable glory 
and beauty of the capital of the kingdom of the 
Great King. 

Well, as I said before, into this city the saved 
ones entered. They were invited to sit down to a 
royal banquet which the King had prepared. 
Never was there such a table spread, nor such a 
company seated before. All were kings there, for 
on their heads they wore crowns of unfading glory. 
I saw some there whom I had seen in the Land of 
Darkness lying on beds of deep affliction; and who 



34 THE ARMY OF THE GREAT KIJS'G. 

seldom had the privilege of attending the Lord^s 
table on earth. But now they drank the new wine 
of the kingdom, and feasted on heavenly manna. 
Joy beamed fr(Mn every eye, and happiness filled 
every heart. This was the marriage supper of the 
Lamb. 

Supper being ended, the King announced his 
intention to return to earth, to take possession of 
the purchased inheritance which had been so long 
in the hands of the Usurper. To this the army 
of the Great King readily consented. For these 
are they who follow the Lamb whithersoever he 
goeth. His people were willing in the day of his 
power, and the descent to earth was commenced. 
I then saw heaven opened, and beheld a white 
horse^ and he that sat upon him was called Faith- 
ful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge 
and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire^ 
and on his head were many crowns. And the 
armies that were in heaven followed him, upon 
white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 
Thus the royal army descended as mighty con- 
querors to the earth, 

I next had a view of the Prince of Darkness and 
his legions. They were gathered together to make 
war with Him who sat upon the horse, and against 
his army. It appeared that during the interval 
between the gathering of the elect and the coming 
of the King with all his saints, to execute judg- 
ment upon all, there had been an increase of enmi- 
ty in the hearts of the children of darkness. The 
Holy Spirit being taken away, and every hallowed 
influence withdrawn from the earth, the enemies 



STATE OF THE WOULD AND DAWN OF DAY. 35 

of the Great King were led to array themselves in 
open hostility against him. But their efforts 
proved fruitless. The leaders of the army of 
Diabolos were taken alive and cast into a lake of 
fire. The judgments of the Most High fell on the 
army, and so universal was. the destruction that 
the slain were from one end of the earth even unto 
the other end thereof, and not even a * ' remnant ' ' 
escaped ; so that they were neither lamented, nor 
gathered, nor buried, but left as dung upon the 
ground. Diabolos himself was apprehended, and 
bound, and cast into the abyss. Thus the triumph 
of the Great King was complete. 

After this I saw, in my dream, that the earth 
reeled to and fro, and stao-o-ered like a drunken 
man. The heavens being on fire were dissolved, 
and the elements melted with fervent heat. The 
crash of the dissolving elements was extremely 
terrific. The earth also fell amid the general con- 
flagration, and the works that were therein were 
burned up. The pyramids of Egypt, which had 
stood for ages, now fell to rise no more. The 
halls of pleasure and stately edifices, which had 
been the boast of men, were now enveloped in 
flames, and the world's grandeur appeared as bub- 
bles on the wave. But I heard a voice from the 
throne say, '^Behold, I make all things new!'' 
when suddenly a change passed over the state of 
things which existed around me. A new earth 
appeared ! 

As I gazed on the new earth, with its attractive 
loveliness, I beheld the holy city. New Jerusalem, 
descending to occupy its appropriate place on the 



36 THE ARMY OF THE GREAT KING. 

regenerated earth. Then I heard a voice from 
heaven, saying, '^ Behold, the tabernacle of the 
Great King is with men, and he will dwell with 
them forever.'' I saw that the faithful lamp- 
bearers had descended to earth again, but their 
tears were wiped aw|Lj, and no sorrow dwelt in 
their bosom. They had now the pleasure of see- 
ing the King in his beauty, and of being like him 
for evermore. The gloomy valleys of the Land of 
Darkness were exchanged for green fields, and 
beautiful plains on which the sun never set. The 
sun did not scorch men with heat there, for the 
air was pure and invigorating. Mount Zion arose 
before me in the distance, and its summit was 
enshrouded in glory. On its radiant heights I saw 
a company of the redeemed. Their faces, which 
were once pale and death-like, Avere now beautiful 
to look upon. Their once emaciated bodies were 
now like the glorified body of their Redeemer. I 
listened while they sung. There was no discord 
in that music. ' Their notes were sweet and melo- 
dious. The sounds mingled with the chimes of 
the waves of the river of life, w^hich laved the base 
of the mountain, and I thouo;ht the earth mio;ht be 
called The Land of Music, for, verily, all creation 
was musical. 

Such was the termination of the lono; nio-ht 
through which the lamp-bearers had passed. Their 
conflicts had been many and severe. But they 
did not regret now that they had fought a good 
fight and kept the faith. On the new earth I saw 
them enjoying everlasting felicity. I longed to 
dwell forever with them, but was compelled to bid 



STATE OF THE WORLD AND DAWN OF DAY. 37 

I them adieu for the present. I heard something 

said concerning the end of the millennial age, when 
the wicked dead shall be resurrected, and the 
Prince of Darkness be loosed out of his prison, — 
when they shall encompass the camp of the saints 
about, and the beloved city, and shall fall for the 
sake of the Anointed. But I saw not these things 
in my dream, hence I forbear to describe them. I 
was looking at the redeemed in glory, listening to 
the song which fell from their lips, and desiring 
to be with them forever, when I heard the victors 
on Zion's heights give a triumphant shout, so 
loud and distinct that it awoke me from my dream, 
— '^ Hallelujah ! for the Lord God omnipo- 
tent REIGNETH ! " 

4 



SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 



SERMON I. 

ON HEARIXa THE WORD. 
" Take heed what ye hear." — Mark 4 : 24. 

We read of an increase of two things in the 
latter days, namely, knowledge and wickedness. 
The prophet Daniel, when describing '^the time 
of the end,*' says, ''Many shall run to and fro, 
and knowledge shall be increased." — Dan. 12: 4. 
And Paul, speaking of the last days, declares that 
*'evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, 
deceivino; and beino- deceived.'' — 2 Tim. 3 : 1, 13. 
One thing which renders the last days so extreme- 
ly perilous is that men ' ' steal the livery of heaven 
to serve the devil in," having a form of godliness, 
but denying the power thereof In these times 
there are many speakers, various subjects, and all 
sorts of hearers. We have now heaps of man- 
made teachers, in accordance with the prophecy, 
— '' But after their own lusts shall they heap to 
themselves teachers, having itching ears ; and they 



ON HEARINa THE WORD. 39 

shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall 
be turned unto fables.'' — 2 Tim. 4 : 3, 4. God- 
made teachers, we fear, are like angels' visits — 
^'few and far between." And if ever the words 
of our Saviour in the text were needed, they are 
so now. 

1. Take heed that ye hear the truth. — We 
are sanctified through the Spirit of God and a 
belief of the truth, as the Scriptures abundantly 
prove. See Psalm 119 : 9 ; John 15 : 3 ; 2 Thess. 
2 : 13. An ounce of truth is worth a pound of 
error, any time. Some people think it is but lit- 
tle matter what a person believes, if he is only 
honest about it. But if a man should swallow a 
dose of poison, honestly supposing it to be some- 
thing wholesome, I wonder if it would injure him? 
How strange it is that some will act so much more 
inconsiderately and inconsistently about food for 
their souls than they do about food for their bodies ! 
Respecting bodily sustenance they have a choice 
— they want something that is not only palatable, 
but substantial and beneficial in its efiect ; while, 
in relation to their spiritual food, they resemble 
little birds that open their mouths to receive 
everything that is offered. A man's practice gen- 
erally corresponds with his faith ; hence a correct 
faith leads to a correct practice. The truth of 
God leads to justification (Eom. 5:1; 10 : 17), 
sanctification (John 17 : 17), liberty (John 8 : 
32), and everlasting happiness (Psalm 43: 3). 
Hence it is all-important that we hear it. If you 
cannot find the truth in the church of our fathers, 
seek it in the church of dissenters. If you find it 



40 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 



not in a steeple-house, seek it in a school-room. 
^^ Buy the truth, and sell it not;" 

2. Take heed that ye hear the present truth, 
— God has had dispensational truths. Noah, Eli- 
jah. John the Baptist, the apostles, the reformers, 
and others, had each a truth designed particularly 
for the age in which they lived. The truth de- 
signed for this generation is the glorious doctrine 
of the speedy appearing and kingdom of our Lord. 
I mean this doctrine in its broad features, and not 
contracted to the computation of time, which may 
be either correct, or erroneous. It was with pro- 
priety declared by Luther, that the great doctrine 
of justification by the righteousness of Christ alone 
is the article of a standing or a falling church. 
And I venture to afiirm that in these days, when 
the evidence of the Lord at hand has been plainly 
brought before a church, and by that church re- 
jected, in that very hour ''Ichabod'' may be 
written on her door. The rejection of this doc- 
trine is an evidence of a falling church, and of the 
departure of her glory ; while the reception of it 
must promote purity and preparation for the event, 
as the apostle intimates by the inquiry, '' Seeing 
ye look for such things, what manner of persons 
ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godli- 
ness.'^ See 2 Peter, 3d chap. The present truth 
is not held to the exclusion of other truths. Though 
John the Baptist announced himself the forerunner 
of the Messiah, he did not reject the doctrine of 
the flood in the days of Noah. Though Luther 
believed the Pope to be ''the Man of sin,'' and 
Rome the Babylon of the Apocalypse, he held 



ON IIEARINO THE WORD. 41 

dearer than life the doctrine of* justification by 
faith, as taught by the apostles. And though the 
present truth must have a prominent place in our 
teachings, yet it must be connected with all past 
truths which have emanated from the mind of God. 
'•Wherefore, brethren, I will not be negligent to 
put you always in remembrance of these things, 
though ye know them and are established in the 
present truth." — 2 Peter 1 : 12. 

Our Lord, in his sermon on the mount of Olives, 
said, ''Who then is a faithful and wise servant, 
whom the Lord hath made ruler over his house- 
hold, to give them meat in due season ? Blessed 
is that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh 
shall find so doing." — Matt. 24 : 45, 46. Now 
it is obvious that a servant could not feed the fam- 
ily, "in due season," without some knowledge of 
the time. Breakfast at ten o'clock, dinner at two^ 
and supper at nine, would not be regarded by la- 
boring men as meat in due season. And shall 
those who are "stewards of the mysteries of God" 
be left without any knowledge of the time they 
occupy in the world's history ? No, verily, they 
have "the sure word of prophecy, whereunto they 
do well to take heed," and are not in darkness 
that the day of the Lord should overtake them as 
a thief. They may know that their Lord is near, 
even at the doors. 

Well, as I intimated before, laboring men re- 
quire good, wholesome food, and at the proper 
time. Some pie or pudding would be desirable, 
but to have all pie or all pudding would produce 
a vitiated appetite. So it is in spiritual matters. 
4^ 



42 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

The enlightened soul delights to meditate on the 
kingdom of God, and the events connected with its 
establishment. The time when the kingdom will 
come, is important. But to think, to talk, and 
write of little else than the 'Hime," produces a 
distaste for truths w^hich every Christian ought to 
love. I have known persons to listen with appa- 
rent dissatisfaction and dislike to a good, practical 
discourse, such as they needed^ and this simply 
through having their minds vitiated by feeding 
almost entirely on one doctrine. We need to be 
careful. While the present truth requires to be 
made prominent, let us remember that all past 
truths are connected with it. The kingdom we 
desire, but the way to it should also be under- 
stood. The crown we hope to wear, but the cross 
and the Sufferer must not be forgotten. In this 
age of new doctrines, new messages, great dangers 
and many teachers, take heed what ye hear. 



SERMON 11. 

THE MANNER OF HEARINa THE TRUTH. 
" Take heed how ye hear." — Luke 8 ; 18. 

The former text which we had under consider- 
ation referred to the matter which we may hear, 
and suggested to our minds the fact that it is 
necessary, in order to our present and future well- 
being, that we hear the truth, whether it comes 
through a ram's horn or a silver trumpet ; and 
also that we listen to the present truth, whether 
it is found in a well-finished chapel, or in a log 
house, and whether the preacher is arrayed in 
royal apparel, like the ^' sweet psalmist of Israel," 
or clothed in raiment of camel's hair, like John 
the Baptist. The present text refers to the man- 
ner of hearing, which is as necessary to be attended 
to as the matter. 

1. We must understand what we hear. — 
For ^' when any one heareth the word of the king- 
dom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the 
wicked one and catcheth away that which was 
sown in his heart." — Matt. 13 : 19. To under- 
stand God's message to us, three things are need- 
ful : — it must be delivered in a language with 
which we are acquainted ; the Holy Spirit must 



44 1 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

accompany the word ; and we must meditate on 
the truth to which we have listened. But there 
are many persons who would rather go eight or 
ten miles to hear a sermon than to spend a few 
minutes in meditation upon it, when they get 
home. Such are apt to be way-side hearers. 

2. We 7nusf believe what ive hear. — The 
apostle Paul, when speaking of the rest which was 
set before the Jews in the land of Canaan, and into 
which they did not enter because of unbelief, says, 
'' For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as 
unto them ; but the word preached did not profit 
them, not being mixed with faith in them that 
heard it." — Heb. 4: 2. On this text. Dr. A. 
Clarke has the following note : — " The word 
(Tvy^eycgai^isvo^ {mixed) is peculiarly expressive ; 
it is a metaphor taken from the nutrition of the 
human body, by mixing the aliment taken into the 
stomach with the saliva and gastric juice, in con- 
sequence of which it is concocted, digested, and 
reduced into chyle ; which, absorbed by the lacteal 
vessels, and thrown into the blood, becomes the 
means of increasing and supporting the body ; all 
the solids and fluids being thus generated : so that 
on this process, properly performed, depend (under. 
God) strength, health, and life itself. Should the 
most nutritive aliment be received into the stom- 
ach, if not mixed with the above juices, it would 
be rather the means of death than of life ; or, in 
the words of the apostle, it would 'not profit,' 
because not thus mixed." Hence we see that if a 
man believes not the threatenings of God, he will 
not be deterred from sinning against him ; if he 



THE MANNER OF HEARING. 45 

believes not the commandments of God, he will 
not endeavor to keep them ; and if he believes not 
the promises of God, he cannot be saved. For 
without faith it is impossible to please him. — Heb. 
11: 1, 6. 

3. We must retain what ive hear. — The 
Lord frequently calls upon us to exercise our 
memory, and there is no faculty of the mind that 
should be Satan's property. ^'Remember,'' is 
what God often says to us in his word, and we 
are ^^ saved, if we keep in memory" the things 
delivered unto us in the Scriptures. — 1 Cor. 15 : 
2. " Therefore we ought to give the more earnest 
heed to the things which we have heard, lest at 
any time we should let them slip," or, '^ run out 
as leaking vessels." Seethe marginal reading of 
Heb. 2 : 1. The metaphor employed by the apos- 
tle here is worthy of attention. We may put 
water or any other liquid into a leaky vessel, and 
in a little while it leaks out and disappears. How 
fit an emblem of the human -mind ! How many 
there are who go to meeting, listen to a good ser- 
mon, and before they leave the house forget the 
text ! Such persons are not likely to know by 
experience what Paul means by standing in the 
gospel of Christ. — 1 Cor. 15 : 1. Why are men 
so forgetful of religious truths, and yet so mindful 
of worldly matters ? 

4. We must practise what we hear. — '• For, 
if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he 
is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a 
glass ; for he beholdeth himself and goeth his 
way, and forgetteth what manner of man he was." 



46 SHOKT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

Read attentively James 1 : 16 to 27. Many, under 
a heart-searching discourse, have looked into the 
mirror of God's word, seen their own pollution and 
deformity by nature, resolved to wash in the foun- 
tain that was opened in the house of David for sin 
and uncleanness, and yet have gone out, mingled 
wdth the world, and perished at last. The way to 
hell is paved with good resolutions, and it requires 
something more than good desires to convey us to 
the abode of the blessed. 

It is written, ^'Man shall not live by bread 
alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of 
the mouth of God.''— Matt. 4 : 4. The words of 
God are food for the soul. Now, as the food we 
eat, w^hen mixed with saliva and gastric juice, is 
digested, and reduced to chyle, and by the lacteal 
vessels conveyed into every part of the body, so 
the religion of Jesus should be carried by us into 
every department of life ; for, whether we eat or 
drink, or whatsoever we do, we should do all to 
the glory of God. A man may eat an abundance 
of good food, but if he has not proper exercise of 
body and mind, his health will fail. And it is 
equally true that if a person hears the word of 
God preached regularly, and yet refuses to be 
actively employed in the Lord's service, his soul 
will get into an unhealthy state. It is said of 
Demosthenes, that when he was asked what was 
the first part of an orator, what the second, and 
what the third ; he replied, unction. And so it 
might be said that the first, second and third 
part of every Christian is action. To hear the 
word of truth is our duty ; but still that of it- 



THE MANNER OF HEARING. 47 

self is not sufficient. We must hear, understand, 
believe, and act immediately. The King's busi- 
ness requires haste. There is much to be done, 
and but little time to do it in. '^ Take heed how 
ye hear.'' 



SERMON III. 

THE DUTY OF PRAYER. 
" Pray without ceasing." — 1 Thess. 5:17. 

There are few Christian duties on which more 
has been written than on that of prayer, and yet 
there are but few duties more neglected by pro- 
fessors of religion at the present day. As it is 
one of the means appointed by Jehovah for the 
conveyance of grace to the heart, it certainly 
ought to be attended to by us all more than it is. 
And here let me notice an objection to prayer, 
which is sometimes suggested by infidels; it is 
this : ''If the Lord is a being who changeth not, 
as the Scriptures represent him, how comes it to 
pass that you expect him to be moved by your 
entreaties to do the things you desire ? '' To this 
we reply. It is because he changeth not that we 
expect him to grant our request. He " maketh 
his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and 
sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust; " so 
that common blessings come alike to all, whether 
they are prayerful or not ; but God has ordained 
that special spiritual blessings shall be received in 
answer to prayer. He has bidden us ask and 



THE DUTY OF PRAYER. 49 

receivCj seek and find, knock and the door shall 
be opened ; and declares, " I will yet for this be 
inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for 
them.'' — Ezek. 36: 37. So that if ever we 
receive the pardon of sin, peace with God, and 
an inheritance in the coming kingdom, it will be 
through prayer, in accordance with a fixed prin- 
ciple of the Lord's government, and because he 
does not change. 

But lohat is prayer ? It has been called the 
^^ Christian's vital breath." And how appropri- 
ate the figure ! When a person ceases to breathe 
we conclude he cannot live long. So a man with- 
out prayer is destitute of spiritual life. A 
prayerless soul is, without doubt, a graceless soul. 
We read of Saul of Tarsus that, at one time, he 
was '' breathing out threatenings and slaughter 
against the disciples of the Lord ;" and at another 
time, as an evidence of his conversion, -'Behold 
he prayeth.*' Thus the breath of threatenings was 
exchanged for the breath of prayer. Prayer is a 
key to unlock the store-house of heaven. And 
Avhat child need be poor while he has such a rich 
Father as the Lord is, and with a key in his pos- 
session that will open the doors of his treasures, 
and also permission to use the key when he 
pleases? Verily '^ prayer moves the hand that 
made the world." 

But what is it to pray loithout ceasing? We 
cannot understand the apostle to mean that we 
are to do nothing else than pray, or that we are to 
be always on our knees, for that is more than he 
did himself. It is more than Christ did, and yet 
5 



50 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

he prayed without ceasing, in the sense of our 
text. We understand that '^adverbs of time ex- 
pressing perpetuity, sometimes denote only fre- 
quency or regularity at stated times and seasons, "=^ 
as the following texts will show : — - 2 Sam. 9:7 
—''And David said unto Mephibosheth, Thou 
shalt eat bread at my table continually." Rom. 
1: 9 — "For loithout ceasing 1 make mention 
of you alivays in my prayers.'^ See, also, Ex. 27 : 
20, compared with verse 21, and 1 Sam. 3:3: 
1 Thess. 1 : 2, 3 ; 2 Tim. 1 : 3. The text there- 
fore means that we are to maintain a prayerful 
spirit by praying frequently and at stated seasons, 
1. The Christicm iv ill pray in secret. It is 
there he obtains strength for public service. How 
did the youthful David know that he was able to 
slay Goliath of Gath, when that champion of the 
Philistines met him on the battle-field ? It was 
from the fact that when he wms away alone, 
watching his father's sheep, a lion and a bear came 
out to rend and to devour the flock, and he arose 
against them, '' and slew both the lion and the 
bear." Having learned to trust in God and to do 
his duty in secret, he was satisfied that God would 
not forsake him in public. Christ commands his 
disciples Avhen they pray to enter into their 
closets, and to shut the doors about them, and there 
pray to their Father, who seeth in secret. Any re- 
tired place will serve as a closet. Isaac went into 
the fields to meditate, or to pray. David went into 
his bed-chamber. Nathanael under a fig-tree. 

* Bush's Scrip. Illus., p. 636. 



THE DUTY OF PRAYER. 51 

Christ to a mountain, and Peter to the house-top. 
David and Daniel, though one was a king and the 
other a courtier, found time to pray three times a 
day. Should not we go and do likewise ? 

2. A CJwistian should lyray in Ids family. 
We have no positive command in Scripture for 
doing this, yet it seems as though every Chris- 
tian parent would regard it as a privilege, as well 
as a duty, to pray with his family, and daily lead 
them to the Giver of every good and perfect gift. 
The Lord said of Abraham, " I know him that he 
will command his children and his household after 
him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to 
do justice and judgment." — Gen. 18 : 19. Now 
*4f ye were Abraham's seed, ye would do the works 
of Abraham." We hear Joshua say, " As for me 
and my house, we will serve the Lord." — Josh. 
24 : 15. We read of David, that he returned from 
public worship " to bless his household." — 2 Sam. 
6 : 12, 13. Jesus prayed with his disciples, and 
they constituted his family. — Luke 9 : 18. Now 
" he that saith he abideth in him, ought himself 
also so to walk, even as he walked." — 1 John 2 : 
6. And did not Jeremiah pray, '' Lord, pour 
out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, 
and upon the families that call not upon thy 
name" ? — Jerem. 10 : 25. If, therefore, parents 
would escape the curse invoked by the prophet, 
let the voice of prayer be heard in their families. 
I know that to do this unceasingly will require an 
eifort. We must act from a settled principle, and 
not merely from feelings. Let no one say, I have 
not the ability to do it. Make a trial, and God 



52 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

will bless you. Read a portion of Scripture in 
connection with prayer, and endeavor to embody 
in your petitions the ideas contained in what you 
have read, and thus your prayer will be more in- 
teresting. Pray not too long, so as to be weari- 
some, nor too loud, so as to give the impression 
that your God is asleep and needs to be awakened. 
In private is the place for long prayers, and in 
public for short ones. ^' A word to the wise is 
sufficient." 

3. Christia7is should meet for j)ublic prayer. 
The primitive saints did this, as we learn from 
Acts 1: 12—14; 4: 31, 32; 12: 12. And 
the Lord has promised to meet with those who are 
assembled in his name. — Matt. 18 : 20. Let not 
the hurry of business drive you from your closet, 
nor cause the family altar to fall. '^ Seek first 
the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, '^ and 
then worldly business will prosper as the Lord 
sees best. See that ye forsake not the assembling 
of yourselves together in the house of prayer, as 
the manner of some is. Remember what Thomas 
lost by neglecting one meeting. He lost a sight 
of Christ; he received not the Holy Ghost; and 
unbelief took possession of his heart, so that he 
would not believe the testimony of his brethren. 
How easy it is for some to frame excuses for stay- 
ing away from prayer-meetings ! A slight head- 
ache, a little rain,^ roads not very good, and things 
which would not be thought of on other occasions, 
are made a sufficient excuse. My brethren, these 
things ought not so to be. Do not say that the pro- 
fessors of religion around you are cold and indif- 



THE DUTY OF PRAYER. 53 

ferent, and not actively employed in the Lord's 
service. That is no excuse for us. It is the dry 
weather that shows us where the living springs 
are. In a wet season water can be found almost 
anywhere. In the time of a revival the prayer- 
meetings are well attended. But it is when there 
is no extraordinary movement on religious sub- 
jects, that we find out where the living Christians 
may be found. Read Malachi's account of the 
state of Israel, when '^they that feared the Lord 
spake often one to another,'^ and you will see that 
it was a time of general apostasy ; and surely, if 
God honored those who were faithful in those try- 
ing times, he will do the same now. See Malachi, 
third chapter. 

The subject of prayer-meetings leads the en- 
lightened, reflecting mind to consider the account 
given us in the prophetic Scriptures of the great 
prayer-meeting which will be at the end of the age. 
Some of our prayer-meetings now are small, but 
that will be the largest one that has ever been 
seen. There will be two classes in attendance. 
^^Many'' professors of religion will be there. 
Their prayer will be, '' Lord, Lord, open to us." 
— Matt. 7 : 21—23 ; 25 : 11, 12. Concerning 
this petition it has been observed, that there are 
several good things belonging to it. 1. It is ad- 
dressed to the proper person — the Lord. 2. It 
is a prayer for a good object — admission into the 
kingdom of God. 3. It is put up with earnest- 
ness, as the repetition of the name of the Lord im- 
plies. And, 4. It is the prayer of sincerity, and 
yet not answered for one simple reason — it is 
5^ 



54 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

offered too late — the Master has risen up and 
the door is shut. 0, how important it is that we 
seek the Lord while he may be found, and call 
upon him while he is near ! 

But who will constitute the other class ? The 
seer of Patmos says he saw the kings of the earth, 
and the rich men, and the chief captains, -and the 
mighty men, and every bondman and every free 
man, hide themselves in the dens and in the rocks 
of the mountains, and heard them say to the 
mountains and rocks, ^'Fall on us, and hide us 
from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, 
and from the wrath of the Lamb ; for the great 
day of his wrath is come ; and who shall be able 
to stand?*'— Rev. 6: 12—17. Kings of the 
earth will be there, with their crowns fallen to the 
ground, and their sceptres lying in the dust. 
Those proud monarchs, who thought it a disgrace 
to bow the knee in a Christian prayer-meeting, are 
now mingling with the slaves and freemen of their 
realms. Those rich men, who laid up their treas- 
ures in abundance, let out their money on interest, 
and put far off the evil day, — those chief captains, 
who led armies to the battle-field, and obtained 
great honor among the nations, — the mighty men, 
whose hearts were unmoved amid the roar of can- 
non and the clash of arms, — the rich and the poor, 
the master and the slave,- — all, all the careless sin- 
ners of the earth will join in one common cry of 
despair, ^' Hide us, hide us, rocks and mountains 
from His eye ! '' 

What a scene ! The scales are turned now. 
Those ^^ of whom the world was not worthy, who 



THE DUTY OF PRAYER. 55 

wandered in deserts, and mountains, and in dens 
and caves of the earth," are now permitted to walk 
the golden street of the New Jerusalem, while 
their persecutors flee to the dens and caves which 
the saints have left. Those *'who wandered about 
in sheep-skins and goat-skins," are called to wear 
robes of unfading beauty : while the proud ones of 
earth, who were ^^ clothed in fine linen," and rolled 
in wealth, now lie humbled in the dust. Those 
once ''destitute " of food, for the truth's sake, are 
called to sit at the royal banquet which the King 
of kings has prepared, while those who ''fared 
sumptuously every day," and whose god was their 
belly, are now compelled to lie down in sorrow 
and make their bed in hell. Those who heard the 
tidings of the rapid approach of the day of God, 
and scoffed af the doctrine, are now forced to cry, 
^' The great day of his wrath is come ! " 0, what 
an ending to a prayerless life ! May the Lord in 
his infinite mercy enable the writer and the reader 
of this article to be found among the praying ones 
ROW, that we may be among the praising ones then, 
and thus escape the things that are about to come 
to pass, and to stand before the Son of man ! 



SERMON IV. 

ON QUENCHING THE SPIKIT. 
« Quench not the Spirit." — 1 Thess. 5 : 19. 

The old adage says, ^^ A man is known by the 
company he keeps ; " and if we are permitted to 
apply this rule to the text before us, we shall come 
to the conclusion that it is a sentence of heavenly 
origin, for above and below it we have commands 
of God, which are like pearls upon a precious 
string. (See vs. 16 — 22.) It contains but four 
words, yet suggests to the mind many important 
truths. As it is a command that all have broken, 
and which is daily trampled under foot of men, ife 
behoves us to become well acquainted with its 
meaning, that we may learn to obey it, for therein 
consists our safety and happiness. Let us con- 
sider, 

I. The tDork of the Spirit of God, — 1. The 
Holy Ghost reproves or convinces of sin. '' And 
when he is come he w^ill reprove the world of sin, 
of righteousness, and of judgment.'' — John 16 : 
8 — 11. Unbelief might well be called the only 
damning sin, as all other sins will be forgiven if 
we ^' only believe " in God; that is, have confi- 
dence in him. Until we are convinced that we 



ON QUENCHING THE SPIRIT. 57 

are great sinners, we will not find in Christ a great 
Saviour. 

2. It leads into the truth. ^* Howbeit when he, 
the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into 
all truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but 
whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak ; and 
he will show you things to come." — John 14: 
16; 16: 12—15; 1 John 2 : 20—27. We do 
not suppose that the Spirit, independent of study, 
will lead us. into all the truths of history, chronol- 
ogy, geology, &c. But he will lead us, if we ask 
his aid, into all the truth necessary for our salva- 
tion. 

3. The Spirit sanctifies the heart in connection 
with truth. ^' But we are bound to give thanks 
always to God for you, brethren beloved of the 
Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen 
you to salvation, through sanctification of the 
Spirit and belief of the truth." — 2 Thess. 2 : 13. 
The word of God shows us our duty, and the 
Spirit of God inclines our hearts to do it. 

4. It comforts the believer under trials. ^' And 
I will pray the Father, and he shall give you 
another Comforter, that he may abide with you 
forever." — John 14: 16. The original word, 
parakleton^ here translated Comforter, also occurs 
in 1 John 2:1, where it is rendered '' advocate." 
The Spirit in our hearts unites with the Son in 
pleading our cause with the Father, and also com- 
forts us in all our afflictions, by sweetly applying 
the promises of God to the soul. 

5. It assists in prayer. '^ Likewise, also, the 
Spirit helpeth our infirmities ; for we know not 



68 ; SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

what we should pray for as we ought ; but the 
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groan- 
ings that cannot be uttered.'' — Rom. 8 : 26. 
The Spirit shows us our wants, makes us feel 
them, and takes hold with us in the business of 
prayer, and thereby we are enabled to get our 
petition before the throne of the great King, 

6. It bears witness of our sonship. ''The 
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we 
are the children of God." — Rom. 8 : 16. There 
is a spirit in man that has knowledge ; ''for what 
man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit 
of man which is in him ? '' — 1 Cor. 2 : 11. And 
it is with this thinking, intelligent spirit, that the 
Lord has formed within man (Zech. 12 : 1), that 
the Spirit of God bears witness. It enables us to 
bear the fruits of righteousness, whereby we have 
the evidence of our sonship. (Compare Heb. 2 : 
3, 4, with Gal. 5 : 22—25.) 

7. It seals us heirs of glory. For, " after ye 
believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of 
promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance 
until the redemption of the purchased possession, 
unto the praise of his glory." — Eph. 1 : 13, 14. 

8. It will quicken the believer in the morning 
of the resurrection. "But if the Spirit of him 
that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, 
he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also 
quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that 
dwelleth in you." —Rom. 8 : 11 ; 1 Pet. 3 : 18 ; 
Ezek. 37 : 11 — 14. The first seven parts of the 
Spirit's work which I have named may be regarded 
as the " first fruits of the Spirit." — Rom. 8 : 23. 



ON QUENCHING THE SPIRIT. 59 

The term '' first fruits " implies a harvest. The 
possession of the first fruits is the only thing that 
can secure to us the orlorious harvest at the comino: 
of our Lord. 

The Spirit, whose work we have been consider- 
ing, is represented as being '' vexed " (Isa. 63 : 9, 
10), "resisted" (Acts 7: 51), "grieved" (Eph. 
4 : 30), and, in our text, " quenched," by the chil- 
dren of men ; hence w^e are led to consider, 

II. How the Spirit of God may be quenched. 
— Th'e word quench obviously has allusion to fire, 
and the manner of extinguishing it. Thus we 
read of Messiah, " A bruised reed shall he not 
break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench." 
On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit descended on 
the assembled disciples "in cloven tongues, like 
as of fire, and sat upon each of them,"* which, per- 
haps, gave rise to the command, " Quench not the 
Spirit." Let us consider how fire may be quenched, 
and then we shall be better able to understand 
how we may quench the Spirit. 

1. Fire may be quenched by throwing water 
upon it. Does not this represent wilful sin or 
actual transgression? After David sinned fear- 
fully, he was forced to pray, " Cast me not away 
from thy presence ; and take not thy Holy Spirit 
from me." We hear him complain of broken 
bones, a loss of joy, a closed mouth, and the walls 
of Jerusalem being broken down (Psa. 51 : 8, 12, 
15, 18). He had lost confidence in himself, and 
others had in him. The Spirit was, in some 
measure, quenched. Convicted sinners often go 
to the halls of mirth, or to places of drunkenness, 



60 5H0RT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

for the purpose of quenching conviction which has 
fastened itself upon them. ChristianSj through 
fear of man, or some other cause, sometimes 
neglect to do their duty, and thereby the Spirit is 
grieved. Read Eph. 4 : 22—82. 

2. Fire may be quenched by throwing earth 
upon it. When we imbibe the spirit of the world, 
we quench the Spirit of the Lord. As in an 
eclipse of the moon, the earth passes between the 
sun and the moon, and thereby the shadow of the 
earth is thrown upon the moon; so, when the 
world gets between our heart and the Sun of 
righteousness, the light is in a great measure hid- 
den from our view. We are commanded to set 
our affections on things above, and not on things 
on the earth. But it is no hard matter to get a 
good farm, a pleasant dwelling, or a few dollars 
and cents, between us and the kingdom of God. 
And it is to be feared that there are many (and 
some of them professors of religion, too) to whom 
a silver dollar seems much more precious than a 
promise of an inheritance in the purchased posses- 
sion. Let us take heed lest at any time our hearts 
be overcharged with the cares of this world, and 
so the day of God come upon us unawares. 

3. We can quench fire by separating the parts, 
or scattering the burning sticks. ''Behold, how 
good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell 
together in unity," said the Psalmist. When the 
members of a church are united in the truth, the 
work of God goes forward, and they know by 
experience that '' union is strength." But when 
divisions and quarrels come, the Spirit is quenched, 



ON QUENCHING THE SPIRIT. CI 

and the usefulness of the church destroyed. So 
it is in families ; when the members are long-suf- 
fering and forbearing with one another, there is no 
trouble, and there the Spirit loves to reside. But 
some families are kept like a boiling pot — always 
in trouble ; for '^ some people,'^ as the pious 
Bunyan used to say, '' are saints abroad, and devils 
at home.'' When they are away from home, they 
can sing, and pray, and talk, as loud as any one ; 
but when in the family, they scold, and fret, and 
murmur, enough to drive away every spark of 
amiableness that dwells in the bosom of any one, 
and much more to quench the Spirit. And yet 
such ones claim to be Christians ! 

4. Fire may be quenched by withholding fuel. 
Let a brush pile alone and it will soon burn down ; 
but add to it, and you can keep it burning ; so, if 
we neglect the ordinances of God's house, that will 
be another way to quench the Spirit. God has com- 
manded us to pray ; to searj^h the Scriptures ; not 
to forsake the assembling; of ourselves too!;ether for 
worship : to be baptized, and to break bread in his 
name ; and, if we withhold any of these means of 
grace, we may depend upon it that we shall thereby 
grieve the Spirit. But let us go forward and do 
every duty as the Scriptures point it out, and then 
we shall have the approbation of our heavenly 
Father, and an inheritance among the sanctified. 

Consider what an awful thing it is to quench 
the Spirit. He is our best friend. If he dwells 
not with us, we can have no part in the first resur- 
rection. If we resist him, we are fighting against 
God. If we knowingly transgress Jehovah's 
6 



62 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

commandments, we resist him. If the world gains 
our affections, — if we indulge in its pleasures, its 
vain conversation and its levity, — and if we have 
undue anxiety about worldly things, we grieve him. 
If the spirit of discord and quarrelling gets into 
the heart, we vex him. And if we neglect re- 
ligious duties, surely he will be quenched. How 
blessed it is to know that, while we can do nothing 
without him, Jesus declares that our heavenly 
Father will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask 
him ! Let us all ask and receive, that our joy may 
be full. Should we go. to the judgment-seat of 
Christ, and it there be manifested that we have 
spent a whole life-time in opposition to God, how 
dreadful must our case be ! How fearful the 
thought that, by continual resistance, the dove-like 
Spirit may be made, to take his everlasting flight, 
and we be left to wail in dark despair ! May we 
regard the words of our text, not as falling upon 
our ears to-day from the lips of man merely, but 
as a voice coming to our hearts from the throne of 
the Eternal, — Quench not the Spirit, 



BERMON V. 

RELIGIOUS JOY. 
" Rejoice evermore." — 1 Thess. 5 : 16. 

As this is the command of an inspired apostle, 
it is obvious that relio;ion never was desio:ned to 
lessen our real liappiness and pleasure, even in 
this world. Oftentimes Satan suggests to the 
youthful mind that to become religious is to be- 
come fanatical ; but surely there never was a 
grosser error attempted to be palmed off upon 
community than this. To live in the world with- 
out God, and without a well-grounded hope, is the 
height of fanaticism ; and, till a man is truly con- 
verted to God, he is not in reality in his right 
mind. To suppose that religion destroys our hap- 
piness is also an erroneous idea. Worldly, carnal 
pleasures the Lord forbids ; but '^ no good thing " 
does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. 
As there may be much joy which is not well- 
grounded, and consequently not durable, let us 
inquire what it is in which we may rejoice always. 

I. We are to rejoice in the Lord, 

This is what the prophet Isaiah resolved to do; 
and every believer is as welcome to do it as he. ^'I 
will greatly rejoice ia the Lord, my soul shall be 



64 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXffS. 

joyful in my God ; for he hath clothed me with the 
garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the 
robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh 
himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth 
herself with her jewels." — Isa. 61: 10. Some 
are tempted to rejoice in their talents ; but su.ch 
should ask themselves the question, What have I 
that I have not received ? If it is sometimes easy 
swimming in the waters of popularity, it should 
not be forgotten that those waters are treacherous, 
and that many expert swimmers have there sunk 
to rise no more. '' Pride goeth before destruction, 
and a haughty spirit before a fall." If God has 
endowed us with five talents, it is for that number 
he holds us responsible. If you have the power 
to move the minds of the multitude by your learn- 
ing and eloquence, do not rejoice in this, ^^but 
rather rejoice because your name is written in 
heaven." — Luke 10: 20. Jeremiah describes 
those who depart from the Lord as having their 
names ^^ wTitten in the earth." — Chap. 17 : 1*. 
As names recorded in the sand on the sea-shore 
are washed out by the returning waves, so those 
who stand high in the estimation of men, and re- 
joice in their own strength and goodness, will soon 
be forgotten in the world; but ^^ the righteous 
shall be had in everlasting remembrance." 

It is said of David Dickson, professor of divin- 
ity in Edinburgh, that, being asked how he found 
himself while lying on his death-bed, he answered, 
' • I have taken my good deeds and bad deeds, and 
thrown them together in a heap, and fled from them 
both to Christ, and in him I have peace." To 



RELIGIOUS JOY. 65 

rejoice in our good deeds, our riches, or our learn- 
ing, and on account of them to entertain a hope 
of everlasting salvation, is to act as foolishly as a 
man who should launch his boat in the rapids 
above Niagara Falls, and yet entertain the hope 
that there is no danger, while every moment his 
frail bark is drawing nearer and nearer the foam- 
in nr cataract. There is no beino- in heaven or on 
earth, in whom we can rejoice for time and eter- 
nity, save the Lord; ^' for in the Lord Jehovah is 
everlasting strength." The language of Mary 
should ever be ours: ^^ My soul doth magnify 
the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my 
Saviour.'' 

II. We are to i^ejoice in the truth. 
It is said of Christian charity, or love to God 
and man, that it *' rejoiceth not in iniquity, but 
rejoiceth in the truth.*' — -1 Cor. 13: 6. And 
the beloved disciple said, he had ''no greater joy 
than to hear that his children walked in truth." 
And the well-beloved Gains is addressed as one 
''loved in the truth."— 3 John 1, 4. The Scrip- 
tures attach great importance to the truth in jus- 
tification, sanctification, and the final salvation of 
men, and why should not we ? Shall we permit 
sincerity of heart to take the place of truth in 
the heart ? If every one may think and act as 
he pleases about religious matters, then why was 
the Bible given to us? If sincerity of inten- 
tion is all that God requires of those who have 
the means of arriving at a knowledge of the 
truth, why did the Lord find fault with Job's 
three friends ? See Job 42 : 7—9. True rcli- 



66 SHORT SERMONS ON SIIOBT TEXTS. 

gious joy springs from an acquaintance with the 
truth as it is in Jesus. An application of the 
promises of God to the heart, by faith, will often- 
times cause a thrill of joy to pass through the 
mind ; but it is to be feared that much of the joy 
of the present day does not arise from such a 
source. Religion is made with many to consist 
more in feeling well in meeting, than in acting 
well out of meetino;. If there is such a thino; as 
a false peace and a false joy, we ought to be care- 
ful that we do not get the counterfeit coin. 

III. We are to rejoice in the salvaiiofi of 
God, 

This is what the royal Psalmist determined to 
do: *'The king shall joy in thy strength, 
Lord ; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he 
rejoice ! *' — Psa. 21 : 1. Salvation signifies pres- 
ervation from danger or destruction, and when 
applied to the soul it includes the remission of 
sin, the regeneration of the heart, and the glori- 
fication of the individual at the appearing of our 
Lord. Although we are by nature children of 
wrath, fallen and depraved, yet ample provision 
has been made for our recovery. The obedience and 
sufferings of Christ do not make God the Father 
love us more than he did previous to his Son's 
passion. This is a point worthy of consideration, 
and one generally overlooked. We are all too 
apt to regard the Father as a being who was very 
angry with the world, and that nothing but the 
death of Christ could make him love us at all. 
Bat the truth is, it was not Christ's death that 
originated the love, but the Father's love that 



RELIGIOUS JOY. 67 

originated the atonement. Thus we read, ^' God 
so loved the world that he gave his only begotten 
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not 
perish, but have everlasting life.'' — John 3 : 16. 
Christ came into the world, gave the law the per- 
fection it demanded, and died on the cross, thereby 
becoming a curse for us, and at the appointed 
time arose from the dead for our justification, and 
a way was opened up whereby God could be just 
and yet justify the believer in Jesus. It is in the 
salvation thus procured that we are required to 
believe and rejoice. 

But, notwithstanding the joyful assurance which 
the Christian sometimes feels that God the Father 
loves him, that God the Son died for him, that 
God the Spirit has taken possession of his heart, 
and that his sins are covered, there are other times 
w^hen doubts and gloomy apprehensions beset his 
mind. Satan, who goeth about like a roaring 
lion seeking whom he may devour, will sometimes 
carry the sins of the pardoned one, and place 
them, as it were a great mountain, between his 
heart and the Sun of righteousness ; that is, he 
Avill endeavor to make him look back on his past 
sins and the imperfections of his conduct, and, by 
getting him to look too much at these and too lit- 
tle at Christ, the mind is thrown into darkness. 
Now, what is a child of God to do in such a case ? 
Well, the only thing he can do is to say in faith, 
Get thee behind me, Satan, and let me see Jesus. 
It is no use for us to deny what is laid to our 
charge; for that we have sinned, and that even our 
good deeds are imperfect, God knows, and the 



68 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

Devil knows, and we know; hence, the better 
way is to confess our guilt, and to rely on Christ 
alone for our perfection and salvation. 

There are some Christians who are more 
troubled with fears and doubts than others ; and 
I am persuaded that one great reason why we 
have so many dark hours in our experience is 
because we lose sight of Christ so often, and 
look so much at ourselves. The following anec- 
dote will serve to illustrate the point. A poor, 

half-witted man, named Tom , living in 

-, got his living by selling pies to poor peo- 
ple. In this way he used to visit the low public 
houses, and every wicked place, and became so 
wicked that he would drink and swear. As he 
was one day selling pies, passing through the low 
and wretched alleys, he entered the room of a 
poor dying sailor, and heard him, as he entered^ 
say, ^' I am a poor sinner and nothing at all, but 
Jesus Christ is my all in all.'' The words struck 
him, and entered so deeply into his heart that as 
he went along he could do nothing else but repeat 
them to himself He wondered in what book they 
could be found, and determined if possible to find 
where they were written. For this purpose, as 
they sounded like poetry, he borrowed a hymn- 
book, but searched in vain to find them. He next 
took up the New Testament ; he read, and became 
deeply concerned in what he read. In the course 
of his reading he found it was a command of 
Jesus that his disciples should break bread, and 
drink of the cup, and show forth their Lord's 
death till he come again. This so rested in the 



RELIGIOUS JOY. 69 

bosom of the poor man, that he longed to partake 
of the Lord's supper, and one day he went to the 
friends who lent him the book, and told them his 
thoughts, saying, ^^I am a poor sinner and nothing 
at all, but Jesus Christ is my all in all ; and he 
commanded all those that love him to eat bread 
and drink wine together in remembrance of him.'' 
At first they refused to receive him into their 
society; but, after ascertaining that he was in every 
respect a reformed man, they admitted him. "He 
adorned his profession with a most consistent life 
and walk, enjoying much happiness and peace 
with God ; so much so that it was often marked 
by some Christians, who one day called on him, 
and in the course of conversation made the in- 
quiry, ^ How is it, Tom, you always enjoy so 
much happiness ? — we are not so.' — ' ! ' said 
Tom, ' I suppose you want to be something ; but 
I am a poor sirmer and nothing at all^ and 
Jesus Christ is my all in all? " 

It is now several years since I first read the 
above history of poor Tom, and ever since I read 
it I have been persuaded that this simple narra- 
tive lets out the secret of much of the darkness 
which troubles some of God's children. I will 
now leave it with the reader to say whether I am 
correct or not. While it is our duty and privi- 
lege to rejoice in the salvation of God, does it 
not frequently seem as if we worked for pardon, 
instead of working from a sense of sins already 
pardoned ? 

IV. We are to rejoice in hope of the glory 
of God, 



TO SHOKT SERMOXS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

^' Being justified by faith, we have peace with 
God through our Lord Jesus Christ : by whom 
also we have access by faith into this grace 
wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory 
of God." — Rom. 5 : 1, 2. To stand in grace, 
and to rejoice in hope, is what the Lord requires 
of us. The grace is received in this world, the 
glory in the world to come. The glory has shone 
forth at different times since the world began. It 
was, doubtless, associated with the Eden state. It 
appeared in the wilderness while the Jews wan- 
dered there ; it abode upon the tabernacle of the 
congregation ; it rested in the temple between 
the cherubims for a season ; Ezekiel saw it go 
away ; it shed its bright beams around the pious 
shepherds on the morn of Messiah's birth ; it 
returned to Tabor's summit when Jesus was trans- 
figured ; in the cloud of glory Christ ascended ; 
it was afterwards seen by Stephen, Saul of Tarsus, 
and the disciple whom Jesus loved. For many cen- 
turies it has disappeared from the earth, but 
prophecy announces its appearance again at no 
distant day. In triple glory will our Lord return 
to earth. — Luke 9: 26. In splendor outshining 
the sun in his meridian brightness will the saints 
appear when they are immortalized. In glory 
will the New Jerusalem descend from heaven, and 
with it the whole earth will be ultimately filled. — 
Num. 14 : 2L Such is the hope of glory which 
the Scriptures present ; and who would not 
'' greatly rejoice " in the prospect of an inherit- 
ance, incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not 



IIELIGTOUS JUY. 71 

away, wliich is reserved in heaven, and ready to 
be revealed in the last time ? 

V. We are to rejoice in tribulation. 

'' Beloved, think it not strange concerning the 
fiery trial which is to try you, as though some 
strange thing happened unto you ; but rejoice, 
inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's suffer- 
ings ; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye 
may be glad also with exceeding joy." — 1 Peter 
4 : 12, 13. We cannot rejoice because we are in 
trouble, but because the grace of God sustains us 
there ; the promises of God clieer us there ; les- 
sons from God are taught us there ; and the glory 
of God is there more clearly discovered. '' In 
the world ye shall have tribulation'' is a prophecy 
of which no one doubts the fulfilment ; but in 
Christ the believer has peace. 

Now, why should not the Christian rejoice 
evermore ? Is he weak ? In the Lord's strength 
he can rejoice. Does he want to be saved ? In 
the salvation of God he may be glad. Is he in 
tribulation ? Even there he need not be discour- 
aged, for he hears the still, small voice of the 
Master sounding amid the flames of the furnace 
— "All things work together for your good." 
Hence every saint may sing with Wesley, 

" Though in affliction's furnace tried, 

Unhurt on snares and death I '11 tread ; 
Though sin assail, and hell thrown wide 

Pours all its flames upon my head. 
Like Moses' bush I '11 mount the higher, 
And flourish unconsumed in fire." 



SERMON VI. 

ON PROPHECY. 
** Despise not prophesyings. " •— 1 Thess. 5 : 20. 

To prophesy is thus defined by Webster : — 
'^1. To utter predictions ; to make declaration of 
events to come. 2. To preach ; to instruct in 
religious doctrines ; to interpret or explain Scrip- 
ture or religious subjects ; to exhort.'^ The word 
'^ prophesy ings '' is doubtless used in our text in 
the secondary sense ; but, as there is a disposition 
manifested by many in these days to despise 
prophesyings in every sense of the term, it may 
be well to consider the claim which prophecy has 
upon the attention of those especially who profes^s 
Christianity. 

1. Prophecy, or a '^ declaration of events to 
come," as contained in the Bible, is an argument 
in favor of the truthfulness and inspiration of the 
Scriptures. As there is no being but God who is 
fully acquainted with the future, there is no one 
but he, or those inspired by him, who can deliver 
a real prophecy. And as the Bible contains sev- 
eral hundred prophecies, the literal and exact ful- 
filment of these must be a powerful evidence of its 
inspiration, or divine origin. While it may be 
true that some of its predictions are ^' hard to be 



ON PROPHECY. 73 

understood," yet it is equally true that there are 
others so obviously fulfilled and fulfilling, that we 
have only to open our eyes and behold the picture 
on the one side, and the reality on the other, — to 
look at prophecy there, and history here. The 
Bible is not an invention of yesterday : it has 
existed for many ages, as all must admit. It is an 
unwearied traveller that has been journeying for 
centuries. It has found its v/ay to the palace of 
the king, and visited the cottage of the peasant. It 
has enlightened and cheered the prisoner in his 
cell, and comforted the widow in her sorrow. It 
has stood by the bedside of the dying, and pointed 
him to a land where there shall be no more death. 
It has wiped away the tears from the eyes of the 
penitent, and bade him look at a Saviour in Jesus 
such as he needed. Its influence has been felt 
everywhere, and on no soil has it refused to tread. 
The Old Testament Scriptures are the same in 
the hand of an unbelieving Jew, that they are in 
the hand of a believing Gentile. The Bible is the 
oldest book in the world, and yet the most inter- 
esting. While it may be argued that some of its 
predictions (so called) were written after the events 
took place to which they relate, this cannot be said 
of them all. We behold, in the prophecies con- 
cerning Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, 
the history of what has befallen those kingdoms 
till the present day. In the wandering Arab of 
the desert we are reminded of the prediction of 
Moses respecting Ishmael : ^- He will be a wild 
man ; his hand will be against every man, and 
every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell 
7 



74 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

in the presence of all his brethren.'' — Genesis, 
16:11. When we gaze on the ^'tribes of the 
weary foot," as they are found in every land, we 
remember that God said, " Ye shall leave your 
name for a curse unto my chosen." ^' And thou 
shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a 
byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall 
lead thee." In the wandering Arab, — -in the 
weary Jew, — in the ruins of Babylon, Nineveh, 
Tyre, and other cities of great renown in ages 
pa^t, — in the divided state of the Roman em- 
pire, — in the blasphemous assumptions of Pope- 
ry, — in the wide-spread errors of Mahommedan- 
ism, — in Jerusalem changing masters eight or 
ten times since Jesus uttered his celebrated 
prophecy on Olivet's brow, and yet trodden down 
by the Gentiles, — in the demoniacal influences 
which are misleading many, — in the spread of 
the gospel, — in the debasement and oppression 
of the children of Ham, — in the numbers and 
vast territory of the descendants of Japheth, — in 
the unparalleled increase of knowledge in every 
department of science and art, — in all these, and 
other things which might be named, we see 
prophecy fulfilling around us. Infidelity cannot 
allege that the predictions respecting these per- 
sons, places, and events, are yet unwritten. The 
prophecies stand on the pages of the Bible, and 
the fulfilment is before our eyes. Despise not, 
therefore, the prophetic word. Let its voice be 
heard, and it will serve to sustain thy soul amid 
the perils of the last days. 

2. Those who give heed to the prophetic Scrip- 



ON PROPHECY. 75 

tures are said to do well. '^ We have also a more 
sure word of prophecy ; whereunto ye do well to 
take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark 
place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise 
in your hearts.'' — 2 Peter 1 : 19. The original 
word, which is by implication rendered '^ dark^ 
ohscure^^'' literally signifies "squalid, filthy ^^'^ 
and such a place fitly represents ' ' the present 
evil world," which is defiled by sin and Satan, and 
darkened by ignorance and error. Respecting the 
work of creation we read, ' ^ And the earth was 
without form, and void ; and darkness ^^as upon 
the face of the deep. And Grod said. Let there be 
light; and there was light." As in the creation, 
light literally shone upon the darkness, so the 
apostle here uses a figure, and represents this 
world as a dark, filthy place, in which the sure 
word of prophecy sheds its light. It has been 
affirmed by some that prophecy cannot be under- 
stood till it is fulfilled. But how then, we ask, 
can it be likened to a light shining in the dark- 
ness ? To illustrate, let us suppose a man is trav- 
ellino: homeward. Nidit overtakes him. The 
road to his house lies through a piece of woods ; 
the way is narrow and rough, and he cannot go 
further without a light. Let us suppose it possi- 
ble for a lantern to be so constructed that it will 
only throw light behind the one who carries it, 
and that such a lantern is given to the weary trav- 
eller. Of what use will it be to him ? Should he 
come to a brook, or a log, it would not aid him in 
getting over his difficulty, but only show him, when 
over, what it was he crossed! And how much 



76 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

more usefal is prophecy, if it does not throw its 
light on tlie future as well as on the past and 
present ? 

This world is the night of the church ; the world 
to come is her day. The present state, being the 
worst through which she will ever have to pass, — 
being the time of her tears and her sorrows, her 
temptations and her tribulations, — is well repre- 
sented by a night. But when Jesus comes the 
day dawns, and the morning Star arises upon her. 
Till then prophecy will be useful. By means of 
it we may know something about our proximity to 
the advent, and the nature of the events which lie 
before us. Some of those events may be seen but 
dimly now, for we walk by the light of the lamp, 
and not in the broad blaze of day. But day is 
coming. 0, Christian ! despise not the study of 
the sure word of prophecy, for you are encouraged 
to study it by the example of angels and of pious 
men in ages gone by, as well as by the promises 
of God. See 1 Peter 1 : 10—13. Rev. 1 : 1—3. 
Let its light shine around you, and by it you may 
be guided to the realms of everlasting day. 

To prophesy, as we have already seen, signifies 
also, to instruct in religious doctrines, to preach, 
or to exhort, as well as to foretell events. In this 
sense the word is used in Proverbs 31 : 1, &c. 
'' The words of King Lemuel, the prophecy that 
his mother taught him."' His words are not a 
prediction of future ev^ents. Consult also Ezekiel 
37 : 4—10. 1 Cor. 14 : 3. 

In the verse preceding our text, we have the 
command, '^ Quench not the Spirit:" from which 



ON PROPHECY. 77 

some might be fanatical enough to suppose that, 
as the Spirit was to guide the disciples of Jesus 
into all truth, and to teach them all things, 
consequently, no other teacher would be needed. 
To guard against this error, the apostle says, 
'' Despise not prophesy ings." While the church 
must have the Spirit to teach her, she must also 
have human "pastors and teachers," from whom 
she can receive words of edification and comfort. 
But there is another evil, into which Christians are 
in danger of falling. It is that of trusting too 
much to the teaching of men, because they are 
considered great and good men, and searching too 
little for ourselves to ascertain the mind of God. 
Hence, to prevent this evil, in some measure, Paul 
adds in the next verse, "Prove all things; hold 
fast that which is good." But how much this 
command is neglected ! It is astonishing how 
little searching of Scripture there is among us. 
Men seem willinor and anxious to think for them- 
selves on every other subject than that of religion. 
And when we look at Christendom, what do. we 
see? We behold multitudes taking upon trust, 
without any trial, the doctrine presented to them 
by ministers and bishops, priests and popes, and 
thus forgetting entirely that the command of the 
apostle, to " prove all things," was given to the 
" brethren " generally — to all, and not to a few. 
Now, what is the result of this course ? It is this : 
" A wonderful and horrible tEing is committed in 
the land ; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the 
priests bear rule by their means ; and my people 
7^ 



78 ^HORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

love to have it so ; and what will ye do in the end 
thereof?'' — Jer. 5:30, 31. 

In conclusion, let me remark, that those who 
are set apart to the work of the ministry, by the 
laying on of hands, are not the only ones who have 
a right to prophesy in the sense of the text. A 
church is not required to receive all her light and 
truth through one man. It is not the one man 
ministry that God recognizes. Hear what the 
Scriptures say: " And let us consider one another 
to provoke unto love and good works ; not for- 
saking the assembling of ourselves together, as the 
manner of some is; but exhorting one another,'' 
that is, prophesying; ^' and so much the more, as 
ye see the day approaching." — Heb. 10 : 24, 25. 
Here it is not intimated that when Christians are 
met for AYorship, there is but one person to exhort ; 
but, on the contrary, we are to exhort one another. 
Let those, then, who speak to '' edification, and ex- 
hortation, and comfort," be encouraged, whether 
their gift has been acknowledged by ordination or 
not. The day is rapidly approaching. We now 
can see it nigh. There is no time for inactivity. 
The world is rushing to the judgment. Thousands 
on thousands who profess religion are slumbering 
and sleeping. Let every available means be em- 
ployed to arouse a slumbering church and a 
thoughtless world to a sense of their danger. 
^'Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things" 
in this hour of peril, and " hold fast that which is 
good." It will cost you labor to do this, but it is 
better to work now than to be wrecked forever on 
the rocks of deception. 



SERMON VII. 

THE ARK ON THE NEW CART. 

" And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and bfought 
it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibea." 

2 Samuel 6:3. 

David, who had for a long time been hunted 
like a partridge upon the mountains, is now quiet- 
ly settled in the government of the house of Israel. 
His reign in Hebron is terminated, and Jerusalem 
has become the capital of his kingdom. He turns 
his attention to matters connected with the worship 
of Jehovah. The ark of the Lord has been for 
many years in Kirjath-jearim, and he resolves to 
bring it to the city which the Lord had chosen to 
set his name there. This ark was a symbol of the 
divine presence. It was a chest made of shittim 
wood, and overlaid with pure gold. The length 
thereof was two cubits and a half, or four feet 
four and a half inches ; and th§ breadth thereof 
one and a half cubits, or two feet seven and a half 
inches (if we reckon the Jewish cubit at twenty- 
one inches). The height thereof was the same as 
the breadth. Over the ark was placed the mercy- 
seat, on which tlie cherubims stood. This ark was 
known to Israel as the place where the glory of 
God appeared: hence the Psalmist prayed. ''Give 



80 : SHORT SEEMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

ear, Shepherd of Israel ! thou that leadest Jo- 
seph like a flock ; thou that dwellest between the 
cherubims, shine forth." — Psa. 80:1. For this 
reason also David desired to have it in the royal 
city. 

It was doubtless a splendid sight, in the eyes of 
the thousands of Israel, when the ark of God was 
set upon the new cart which had been made for 
the purpose of conveying it to the city. And as 
the oxen moved slowly forward many hearts beat 
high wdth expectation that God was once more 
going to smile upon the nation, and make it, ac- 
cording to promise, the head of all the nations of 
the earth. But many a day that dawns in splen- 
dor ends in a storm. Little thought the many 
happy hearts, that surrounded the ark in the morn- 
ing, that a time of w^eeping was so nigh. See ! 
the ark is borne onward. All goes on smoothly 
for a season. But now the oxen shake it ; Uzzah 
puts forth his hand to steady it ; God smites him 
for his error or rashness, and he dies there by the 
ark of God. Surely it is a fearful thing to fall 
into the hands of the living God ! But let us con- 
sider why the Lord should be displeased with 
Israel on this occasion, and manifest his displeasure 
by making a breach upon Uzzah. 

1. Carrying the ark of God on a new cart 
ivas a direct violation of his law. 

The law reads, ^' And when Aaron and his sons 
have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and 
all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to 
set forw^ard ; after that the sons of Kohath shall 
come to bear it ; but they shall not touch any holy 



THE ARK ON THE XEW CART. 81 

tiling, lest they die. These things are the burden 
of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the con- 
gregation." — Numb. 4: 15. There were rings 
on the ark. through which staves passed, by means 
of which the priests, the sons of Kohath. of the 
tribe of Levi, were enabled to carry it : so thiit to 
have it carried in any other way, or by any other 
persons, was strictly forbidden. This David after- 
wards ascertained, for we read that when the ark 
had rested for three months in the house of Obed- 
edom, David resolved to bring it to Jerusalem with 
gladness, '' and it was so, that when they that bca^e 
the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacri- 
ficed oxen and fatlings." — Verses 12, 13. In the 
first instance they consulted their ease, for the 
road was probably long and rough ; but in the last 
instance, their dic/y. 

2. Carrying the ark on the new cart icas i?i 
iinitatioji of the heathen. 

When the ark was among the Philistines, Dagon 
their god fell before it in one city, and in another 
^'a deadly destruction *' prevailed, and '' the hand 
of God was very heavy there ; '' hence the Ekron- 
ites took counsel to send it back to the land of Is- 
rael : therefore ^'they made a new cart, and took 
two milch kine and tied them to the cart, and shut 
up their calves . . . and the kine took the straight 
way to the way of Beth-shemicsh, and went along 
the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not 
to the right hand or to the left.'* — See 1 Samuel, 
chapters 5 and 6. As did these Philistines, so 
did the Israelites afterwards. An act which God 
permitted one people to perform without manifest- 



82 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

ing any marks of his displeasure upon them, he 
would not allow another, but more enlightened 
nation, to do, without manifesting disapprobation. 
We are accountable before God in proportion to 
the light we possess, or have the means of pos- 
sessing. The times of heathen ignorance God 
winked at once, but now commandeth all men 
everywhere to repent. 

We are not to suppose that the principle of car- 
rying the ark on the new cart, because it looks 
better and is more convenient, is to be confined to 
one people, or to one age of the world. This is a 
principle that has often manifested itself Do we 
not see it w^orking in the case of Cain and Abel ? 
These brothers were professedly worshippers of Je- 
hovah. Look at the two altars as they rise before 
us. To the eye of the unenlightened stranger 
Cain's altar seems much the best. He brings " of 
the fruits of the ground an offering to the Lord.'' 
It is merely a thank-offering, such as any formal- 
ist might offer. For who does not feel thankful 
after reaping an abundant harvest, or while view- 
ing the beauties of nature wherewith he is sur- 
rounded ? Surely that heart must be hard indeed 
which has not even a thank-offering to present. 
But look for a moment at the other altar. A life- 
less lamb lies upon it : the blood trickles down 
over the rough stones, and Abel stands by its side 
a penitent believer. He acknowledges himself a 
sinner deserving to die, while his faith embraces 
the coming of the woman's conquering '^seed." 
Man regards Cain's altar as the best; but the 
Lord had respect to Abel and to his offering, but 



THE ARK ON THE NEW CART. 83 

unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. 
But wherein lies the difference between these wor- 
shippers? There is none by nature; they were 
born of the same parents, and were both sinners. 
But the difference lies here: ^' By faith Abel 
offered unto God a more acceptable sacrifice than 
Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was 
righteous, God testifying of his gifts." — Heb. 
11: 4. Cain had a way of his own, while Abel 
walked in the ways of the Lord. It is dangerous 
going ^^in the way of Cain," yet there are many 
who walk therein. — Jude 11th. 

A principle similar to that of carrying the ark 
on the new cart has developed itself in the 
gospel age an the Papal apostasy. The members 
of the Roman communion measure their religion 
more by the height of their steeples than by the 
length and breadth and depth and height of pure 
and undefiled religion in the soul, which man- 
ifests itself by deeds of holiness. With them that 
religion must be the true one which most men 
embrace — ^vhich has the most splendid edifices 
connected with it, and where there is the most vis- 
ible unity under one head, and that head the Pope. 
They make void the word of God by their tradi- 
tions. They have taken heathen rites and prac- 
tices, and grafted them upon a corrupt Christianity. 
But while things move on smoothly with them 
now, the season is rapidly approaching when God 
will make a breach upon them, as he did upon 
Uzzah ; and sad indeed will be the fate of those 
who are numbered as worshippers of the beast and 
are found obeying the laws which emanate from 




84 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

mjstic Babylon, instead of those which have come 
down from heaven. 

While looking at some of the Protestant assem- 
blies around us, my mind has often been led to 
think of the manner in which a command of God 
concerning singing is disregarded. An inspired 
apostle commands us to teach and admonish one 
another '• in psalms and hymns and'spiritual songs, 
singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord." 
— Colos. 8 : 16. But what do we see in some 
churches of Christendom^ It is well known that 
many of the best singers in the choirs are graceless 
souls. They take the lead in singing hymns de- 
scriptive of the work of God on the heart, the ex- 
perience of the believer, and kindred subjects, 
concerning which they know nothing, and thus 
virtually lie to the Almighty. They professedly 
praise God in the meeting-house, and curse him 
when they are out of it. And ministers who have 
the pastoral charge of the churches, and who know 
these thinois to be facts, encourao-e them in it. 
Instead of reproving them for their iniquity, they 
are in some places paid for their services. Would 
you consider it right to call upon a man, whose daily 
walk showed him to be unconverted, to lead a Chris- 
tian assembly in prayer, simply because he is capa- 
ble of using good language, and is willing to do it ? 
Then why request such an one to sing ? Does 
not the secret of the matter lie in this ? — those 
Avho are known by their fruits to be Christians 
are not so good singers, and, as it is desirable to 
have '^ the singing go off well '^ those must be em- 
ployed who can sing, whether they are believers or 
not. Nowj what is this but putting the ark of 



THK ARK ON THE NEW CART. 85 

God on a new cart? To '^sing with the spirit 
and with the understanding also," belongs to the 
''royal priesthood '^ of this dispensation. The 
Popish principle that it is lawful to do evil that good 
may come, and that the end sanctifies the means, 
should be repudiated. Well might the poet say : 

'• Let those refuse to sing 

Who never knew our God ; 
• But children of the heavenly King 

Should sound his praise abroad." 

The practice of worshipping God as may be most 
convenient, and as men please, is a very common one. 
And people often think they have a perfect right 
to do so. But what say the Scriptures ? '• God is 
a spirit : and they that worship him must worship 
him in spirit and in truth.'' To worship God aright, 
we must do it, not according to our fancy, but ac- 
cording to his revealed will. It is very well to 
' ' worship according to the dictates of our own con- 
science," if our conscience is a tender and en- 
lightened one; but if it is ^"seared as with a hot 
iron," it is a poor rule of worship to follow. The 
question with us should not be, What will the 
world say if I do this or that ? but, rather, What 
will God say respecting it? When men, who take 
the word of God as their rule of faith and practice, 
are led to expose the errors of the age, they are 
sometimes accused of " steadying the ark;" but 
those who brino; this accusation ao!:ainst them 
should remember that the ark has no right to be 
on the new cart at all. Let them do God's work 
in God s way, and all will be well. 



SERMON VIII. 

THE FLOCK OF GOD. 
" Feed the flock of God which is among you." — 1 Peter 5 : 2. 

This is an exhortation given to the elders or 
bishops of the church of Christ, by one who had 
been in the ministry over thirty years, and was 
therefore qualified to give the advice contained in 
the text and context. The elders are to take the 
oversight of the flock with a ready mind, but not 
^•as being lords over God's heritage," [rc^)^ jc^qojv, 
the clergy,^ All Christians are the clergy of the 
Lord, though they are not all pastors and teachers. 
Those who are teachers are required to be ensam- 
ples to the flock. The character of the flock that 
is to be fed and cared for is thus given in the 
unerring word. 

1. It is a purchased flock. Paul, in addressing 
the elders of Ephesus, said, '' Take heed therefore 
unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which 
the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed 
the church of God, which he hath purchased with 
his own blood.'* — Acts 20 : 28. We are by na- 
ture ^- carnal, sold under sin ; '' but by grace '^ we 
are bought with a price." An article is consid- 
ered valuable according to what it has cost the 



THE FLOCK OF GOD. 87 

owner ; and that must be a valuable flock which 
cost the blood of the Shepherd. 

2. It is an obedient flock. Jesus says, ^^My 
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they 
follow me.'' — John 10: 27. His voice is now 
heard in the Scriptures of tmth, and we follow 
him when we comply with his requirements. 
^' In keeping his commandments there is great 
reward." 

3. It is a little flock. The Shepherd said, on 
one occasion, '^Fear not, little flock; for it is 
your Father's good pleasure to give you the king- 
dom."— Luke 12 : 32. The flock of God in 
every age has been a little one ; and he has no- 
where told us that it will become large enough to 
embrace the world before the end of this dispen- 
sation. The truth of God is found with the few, 
and not with the many. 

4. It is an exposed flock. When Jesus sent 
forth his disciples to preach the gospel of the king- 
dom of heaven at hand, he said to them, ^* Behold, 
I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves ; 
be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as 
doves." — Matt. 10: 16. And Paul said to the 
bishops of Ephesus, ^'I know that after my de- 
parture grievous wolves shall enter in among you, 
not sparing the flock." — Acts 20 : 29. If these 
wolves came with their natural appearance, they 
might be readily detected, and the sheep be led to 
shun them : but they frequently come •' in sheep's 
clothinfr." Havinni; drawn a fleece over them, 
they try to palm themselves off* for sheep ; hence 
the powerful influence which they sometimes exert. 




88 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

The cliurch has been troubled with just such men 
in every age, and will be while the world lasts. 
By a '^voluntary humility/' the manifestation 
of a kind spirit for a season, and winning ways, 
they deceive the hearts of the simple, and bring 
reproach and ruin upon the cause of God in many 
places. While the flock is in '-the waste, howl- 
ing wilderness," much vigilance is necessary. The 
exhortation of Peter is, ''Be sober, be vigilant, 
because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring 
lw?ij walketh about, seeking whom he may de- 
vour.'' From which we gather that if Satan can- 
not destroy the flock, he will, at least, try to 
frighten them. 

5. It is a scattered flock. The sheep are found 
scattered everywhere through the weary land of 
this w^orld. Yet the Shepherd's eye is upon them ; 
he knows where they are. Yea, ''He maketh them 
to lie down in pastures of tender grass, and leadeth 
them beside the waters of quietness." Christians 
live not by bread alone, but by every word that 
proceedeth out of the mouth of God. To them 
his promises are exceedingly great and precious. 

6. It will soon be a gathered flock. "For thus 
saith the Lord God, Behold I, even I, will both 
search my sheep and seek them out. As a shep- 
herd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is 
among his sheep that are scattered, so will I seek 
out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all 
places where they have been scattered in the 
cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them 
out from the people, an(^ gather them from the 
countries, and will bring them to their own land. 



THE FLOCK OF GOD. 89 

and feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by 
the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the 
country. I ^'ill feed them in good pasture, and 
upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold 
be : there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a 
fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of 
Israel. And I will set up one Shepherd over 
them, and he shall feed them, even my servant 
David : he shall feed them, and he shall be their 
shepherd. And I will make with them a covenant 
of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease 
out of the land ; and they shall dwell safely in 
the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I 
will make them, and the places about my hill, a 
blessing, and I will cause the shower to come down 
in his season ; there shall be showers of blessings.*' 
— Ezek. 34th chap. '-'And they shall hunger 
no more, neither thirst any more ; neither shall 
the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the 
Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall 
feed them, and shall lead them unto living foun- 
tains of water." — Eev. 7th. 0, blessed day, 
when the chief Shepherd shall appear to gather 
his flock into one fold on the green fields of the 
regenerated earth ; when earth shall once more 
bloom beneath the smile of its Creator ; when 
the saints of every age and clime shall stand with 
the Lamb on the heights of Zion ! That indeed 
Avill be '^ the congregation of the righteous," where 
no sinners will be seen. 

0, blessed thought, that the day is near which 
will consummate the hope of the church ! — that soon 
the heavens will be lighted up with the glory of 
8* 



L 



90 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

God, and Jesus appear to rilBe the graves of the 
saints, and change the righteous living ! Well may 
we say with the poet, 

** 0, what a blessed hope is ours ! 
While here on earth we stay, 
We more than taste the heavenly powers 
And antedate that day." 

Reader, do you belong to the flock of God ? 
Are you resting the whole weight of your salva- 
tion on the merits of the Shepherd ? Are you a 
follower of the meek and lowly Jesus ? Tried and 
tempted you may be ; exposed to dangers you 
must be ; but never doubt the love of Him who 
came from glory to wander on the mountains of 
this world in search of the lost sheep. Read Luke, 
15th chap. You may complain of weakness, but 
remember that it is the Shepherd's work to gather 
the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his 
bosom ; and he has promised to do this. — Isa. 40 : 
11. Do not complain of unworthiness ; remember 
that the song of the redeemed in glory will be, 
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain,'^ &c. If 
you feel weary of sin, and earnestly long for 
more communion with God, it is the Spirit of 
God who has wrought in you this feeling and 
desire. "For every good gift and every perfect 
gift is from above, and cometh^ down from the 
Father of lights, with whom there is no varia- 
bleness, neither shadow of turning." — James 1 : 
16, 17. " For the carnal mind is enmity against 
God ; for it is not subject to the law of God, 
neither indeed can be." "But as many as are 



THE FLOCK OF GOD. 91 

led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of 
God.'' To be '^led" implies weakness, or want 
of knowledge on the part of man ; '^for it is not 
in man that walketh to direct his steps ; " but if 
we have the Spirit of God as our leader, we shall 
be guided aright. Continue to trust in Christ ; 
'' for we walk by faith and not by sight." 



SERMON IX. 

ALL THINGS WOKKING POR THE BELIEVER'S 
BENEFIT. 

*« And we know that all things work together for good to 
them that love God, to them who are the called according to 
his purpose." — Bom. 8 : 28. 

There were some things with which Paul had 
a more thorough acquaintance than many of his 
brethren in the ministry. He spake with tongues 
more than they all, and was not a whit behind the 
very chiefest apostle ; yet afflictions and privations 
were oftentimes his lot. He knew how to be 
abased and how to abound. Everywhere and in 
all things he was instructed both to be full and to 
be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. He 
had learned the happy art of divine contentment, 
as he says, '^I have learned in whatsoever state I 
am, therewith to be content." — Philip. 4: 11 — 13. 
A blessed lesson it was ! Some go to the school of 
Christ many years before they learn this lesson as 
perfectly as he did. 

But while Paul was a scribe well instructed in 
the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and in a 
knowledge of some things probably surpassed the 
rest of the apostles, there were truths with which 
many of the most retiring members of the Chris- 



ALL THINGS WORK FOR GOOD. 93 

tian church had an acquaintance as well as him- 
self. One of these truths is contained in the 
text before us. ''And we know that all things 
work together for good to them that love God." 
Let us, 

I. Attentively consider the doctrine here 
stated^ '' All things work together for good.^^ 

1. ''All things:' That God the Father,' his 
Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the truth 
of God, are all working for the good of those who 
walk uprightly, no Christian doubts. But that 
all events of Providence, great and small trials, 
adverse circumstances and those which are appar- 
ently of a more prosperous character, are also all 
working for our good, appears evident from this 
text. Hence we are bidden to ''rejoice evermore, 
and in everything give thanks.'' How precious 
the truth that nothing can harm us if we be fol- 
io Avers of that w^hich is good ! " For I am per- 
suaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor 
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor 
things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any 
other creature, shall be able to separate us from 
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our 
Lord."— Rom. 8: 38, 39. These things may 
oftentimes seem like a black cloud gathering 
around us; but 

'' The clouds we so much dread 
Are big with mercy, and ^Yill break 
In blessings on our head." 

Afflictions are amono; the "all thinors " here 
mentioned. Almost every Christian has learned 



94 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

by experiences that afflictions sent by God's com- 
mand are blessings in disguise. *' Before I was 
afflicted/' said the Psahiiist, " I went astray ; but 
now have I kept thy word.'' When the three 
Hebrew worthies were thrown into the burning 
fiery furnace, it seemed to the haughty pagan 
monarch that that must be the end of tbem ; but 
the furnace, though heated '' one seven times more 
than it was wont to be heated," did them no harm. 
Upon their " bodies the fire had no power, nor was 
a hair of their head singed, neither were their 
coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed 
upon them." All the fire did was to loosen the 
bonds wherewith they were bound ; for they went 
into the furnace bound, but came out free. So it 
is often the case with the Lord's people now. 
When they lose their interest in religion, and 
have their affections bound to the things of earth, 
God puts them into fiery trials, and, after staying 
there awhile, they come out purified, loving the 
world less and God more. 

The prophet declares that ^' the Lord doth not 
afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." 
— Lament. 3 : 33. He has a wise purpose in 
chastening his saints. He has compared them to 
earthen vessels: "We have this treasure in 
earthen vessels," says the apostle, while speaking 
of the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit. — 
2 Cor. 4 : 7. When a person goes to purchase 
an earthen vessel, he generally knocks upon it to 
see if it sounds well. And what are disappoint- 
ments, sickness, and the various afflictions of this 
life, but God knocking upon his earthen vessels ? 



ALL THINGS WORK FOR GOOD. 95 

If they bear their trials patiently, and murmur not 
at his discipline, he will in due time relieve them, 
and make them his own forever. 

We know that " no chastening for the present 
seemeth to be joyous, but grievous ; nevertheless 
afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of right- 
eousness to them vfho are exercised thereby." — 
Ifcb. 12 : 3 — 11. God has no pets in his family, 
as men sometimes have in theirs. Those who love 
him the most, frequently suffer the severest. And 
there is not a sweeter, and more Christ-like saint 
on earth than a suffering saint. So many of the 
Lord's people suffer severely, that it is said of the 
church, as a whole, " These are they who came out 
of great tribulation, and have washed their robes 
and made them white through the blood of the 
Lamb." Verily, he hath chosen them in the fur- 
nace of affliction. But we consider, 

2. '^ All things work.^^ There is none of them 
idle. All the events of God's providence are just 
so many workmen, who are employed for our good 
in the end. A farmer engages a number of men 
to work for him. He may not see immediately 
any great benefit arising from their labors ; but 
after the crops raised have been harvested and 
otherwise disposed of, then the good of their labor 
is seen. So believers, while passing through what 
are apparently adverse scenes, may not know how 
such things can work for their good ; yet, when 
the harvest of the world comes, the good accruing 
to them from such a source will be easily per- 
ceived. 

An idea similar to the one in our text is ex- 



96 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

pressed by the same apostle in 2 Cor. 4 : 17, 18. 
'^ For our light afflictioiij which is but for a mo- 
mentj worketh for us a far more exceeding and 
eternal weight of glory ; while we look not at the 
things which are seen, but at the things which are 
not seen ; for the things which are seen are tem- 
poral, but the things which are not seen ^re eter- 
nal." In the seventeenth verse we have a beauti- 
ful contrast made, and in the eighteenth verse a 
paradox presented. The contrast drawn in three 
particulars might be expressed thus: ,'' AffUc- 
tioUj'^ ^^fflory;'^ '^ light affliction," ^^ weight of 
glory;" '^ light affliction but for a moment^''' 
'^an eternal weight of glory." As all afflicted 
ones do not reap such glorious results from their 
sufferings here, we are paradoxically shown under 
what circumstances afflictions work so blessedly ; 
it is *' while we look " ''at the things which are 
not seen^ The natural man may laugh at the 
idea of looking at things unseen ; but the child of 
faith, like Moses, endureth as ''seeing him who is 
invisible," and with the eye of his mind steadily 
fixed on things which are eternal, he patiently 
endures his sufferings while they are working for 
his eternal welfare. Again. 

3. "All things work together.''' There is a 
union in the effort. The believer drinks from a 
cup which contains a mixture. His life is made 
up of smiles and tears, sunshine and shade, pros- 
perity and adversity, sickness and health, joys and 
sorrows, griefs and fears ; and yet all these things, 
under God's directing hand, work together for his 
advantage. As a physician prepares a medicine 



ALL THINGS WORK FOR GOOD. 97 

for a patient, wbich is composed of several ingre- 
dientSj some of them sweet and others bitter, and 
even some of them poisonous when too large a 
quantity is taken, and yet, by a proper mixture, 
the medicine thus formed produces a salutary 
effect ; so the great Physician of souls directs the 
events of his providence in such a manner that 
they all contribute to the happiness of his people, 
as the text affirms. 

4. ^' All things work together /or good.^^ This 
is the grand result. For '-'if God spared not his 
own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how 
shall he not with him freely give us all things ? " 
— Rom. 8 : 82. If he withheld not the best gift 
that heaven could afford, he w^ill not withhold 
lesser blessings. Yea, he has promised to give 
grace and glory, and to withhold no good thing 
from them that w^alk uprightly. — Psalm 84 : 11. 
He may withhold some things which we in our ig- 
norance consider good, but which he in his in- 
finite wisdom sees would be to our injury. It 
ought to be sufficient for us to know, when we 
suffer, that it is our Father's hand that holds the 
rod, and the nearer we draw to him the less we 
Avill feel the strokes. 

But some afflicted one may say, ''My suffer- 
ings have been severe and very protracted, and I 
do not see why I should suffer so much more than 
others." All that may be true, "for we are but 
of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days 
on earth are a shadow." A person, while looking 
at a sampler with which he is unacquainted, and 
observing on the wrong side of it short stitches 




98 SHORT SEKMOxN^S ON SHORT TEXTS. 

here and long ones there, might consider it all 
confusion, and feel ready to condemn it as mean- 
ingless ; but when the sampler is turned, and the 
right side of it shown, he will doubtless have 
occasion to change his opinion. We are now, 
while viewing the providences of God, oftentimes 
like the person looking at the vrrong side of the 
sampler. But we should derive consolation from 
the fact that soon the tapestrjr will be turned. 
When we are made equal unto the angels, events 
which are now mysterious will appear perfectly 
plain. And then it will be seen that the Lord ' ' led 
us by the right way, that he might bring us to a 
city of habitation.-' 

But, says another, ^^ It is not so much what I 
am suffering that I fear, as it is what I expect to 
pass through ; there is not much prospect of my 
suffering being less. I see poverty staring me in 
the face, and a dread of the future frequently rolls 
over my soul." But why should we borrow trouble 
about time which may never come ? We ' ^ know not 
what shall be on the morrow ; for what is our life ? 
It is even as a vapor which appeareth for a little 
while, and then vanisheth away.'' There is no use in 
crossing a bridge till we get to it. '• Sufficient 
unto the day is the evil thereof; " that is, every 
day has evil enough of its own, without bringing 
the fancied evil of the future down to the present 
time. Has not the great Head of the church said, 
''Fear none of those things which thou shalt 
suffer"? — Rev. 2: 10. And again, ''As thy 
days so shall thy strength be." — Deut. 34 : 25. 
'• My grace is sufficient for thee ; for my strength 



ALL THINGS WORK FOR GOOD. 99 

is made perfect in weakness." — 2 Cor. 12 : 9. 
Having, tlierefore, these promises, dearly beloved, 
let us take courage. But it remains to be con- 
sidered, 

II. Who they are of trhom it is said that all 
things work together for their good. 

It is only a certain class who are so highly 
favored as to have so many workmen employed for 
their eternal welfare. Hence we cannot be too 
particular to ascertain whether we belong to that 
class or not. Our text mentions two things by 
which they are distinguished. 

Firstly. They love God. God is a being of 
such infinite goodness that we might suppose all 
mankind would love him ; but, alas ! there are 
many who have not the fear of God before their 
eyes. Those Avho do love him have several traits 
in their character by which they are known, among 
which we have the following : 

1. They abhor themselves. They feel as Job 
did when the Lord answered him out of the whirl- 
wind. See Job 40 : 3—5 ; 42 : 5, 6. The more 
they look at themselves in the mirror of God's 
law, the more deformity they see in themselves. 
Feeling sorrowful for what they have done, and 
renouncing all hope of salvation by their own 
righteousness, they cling to Christ as the only ref- 
uge from the wrath to come. 

2. They keep the commandments of God. '' He 
that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, 
he it is that loveth me.'" — John 14 : 21. They 
walk in the footsteps of Jesus. — 1 Peter 2 : 21. 
As they journey and behold the footprints of their 



100 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

blessed Sayiour, there they put down their feet. 
This obedience springs from union with Christ by 
faith. As well might we expect light not to fol- 
low the rising of the sun, as good works not to 
follow living faith in God's promises. 

3. They love the Lord's people. ^'We know 
that we have passed from death unto life, because 
we love the brethren.'^ — 1 John 3: 14. The 
Christian's love is not confined to the members of 
his own denomination, but in whomsoever he sees 
the image of Jesus he beholds a brother or a 
sister. The hearts of believers are '^ knit together 
in love."- — Colos. 2: 2. As in knitting-work 
there are many loops, yet but one thread, so in 
the Christian church there are many members, yet 
one thread of divine love passes through the whole. 
It is Satan's work to break this thread ; and when 
in societies he can accomplish his object, through 
the weakness of the flesh, or diversity of opinion, 
it is sometimes hard to restore that peace which once 
existed. Hence the necessity of watchfulness. 

4. They are hated for the truth's sake. '-If ye 
were of the world, the world would love its own ; 
but because ye are not of the world, but I have 
chosen you out of the world, therefore the world 
hateth you.'" — John 15 : 17 — 20. We are com- 
manded to ''buy the truth, and sell it not.'' No 
matter what it costs, we are to obtain it, and when 
obtained it will bring with it reproach and scorn 
here, but glory and blessedness hereafter. Those 
who hold up '' the present truth " before the 
world, will have the finger of scorn pointed at 



ALL THINGS WORK FOR GOOD. 101 

them, as did Luther, Wesley and others. But the 
servant is not greater than his Master. 

5. They love the appearing of Christ. There 
is a crown of righteousness laid up for all those 
who love his appearing. See 2 Tim. 4 : 6 — 8. 
There are some thino;:s connected with the cominor 
of our Lord which have a tendency to fill the mind 
with fear ; such as the burning of the heavens and 
the earth, the strictness of the judgment, and the 
doom of the finally impenitent. But those who 
love God hope to find in the judge a friend. They 
expect grace to be brought unto them at the reve- 
lation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1 : 13), which 
will enable them to stand. They look to that day 
as being one when they will meet with friends who 
have died in the Lord, — a day that ends the 
church's warfare, and sighs and sorrows, and a 
day when the kingdom of God will be established. 
Therefore they pray, '^ Thy kingdom come; '' or 
with the seer of Patmos, "Come, Lord Jesus." 
But, 

Secondly. They are called according to Je- 
hovah' s j)urpose. "The called" {lom yclr^xoi^^ 
that is, the invited. The metaphor is probably 
derived from the practice of inviting guests to a 
feast. The call of God is universal — his invitation 
is to all. '• Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye 
to the waters, and he that hath no money ; come 
ye, buy and eat : yea, come, buy wine and milk 
without money and without price." His purpose 
in giving this invitation is that men might be 
saved. If we comply with the invitation, and 
have the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by 
9* 



102 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

the Holy Ghost, we maybe assured that all things 
will work together for our good. '^ We should go 
first to the grammar-school of faith and repentance 
before we go to the university of predestination." 
Satan will urge us to go to the university first, 
and trouble our heads and our hearts about elec- 
tion and reprobation. But it should be enough 
for us to know that Vfe love God; and this it is our 
duty and privilege to know. We know whether 
we love an earthly friend or not ; and surely we 
may come to the full assurance of faith that we 
love that friend who sticketh closer than a brother. 
And if we love him, then we shall know by sweet 
experience that all things — whether joys or sor- 
rows, happiness or persecution, or whatever else 
may befall us here — serve but as winds to waft 
us safely over life's tempestuous ocean to the haven 
of everlasting rest. 



SERMON X. 

ALL THINGS MADE NEW. 

" And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all 
things new. And he said unto me. Write : for these words are 
true and faithful." — Rev. 21 : 5. 

It is recorded, in Acts 17 : 21, that all the 
Athenians and strangers that were in Athens spent 
their time in nothing else but either to tell or to 
hear some new thing. Hence they were willing 
for once to listen to the '• new doctrine " which 
Paul brought to their ears when •• he preached 
unto them Jesus and the resurrection." And we 
find there is much of this old Athenian desire in 
the world at the present time. '^ News ! news ! " 
is the cry of the day, and there are more new 
sayings than true sayings circulated in this age. 
It is well, then, while looking over the sayings of 
men, to be able to let the eyes and the mind rest 
on one of the sayings of God which is true and 
faithful. -^ There is a blessed collection of new 
things mentioned in the book of God, and let those 
who are fond of new ideas and new doctrines, con- 
sider, 

I. God has promised to make a iieio earth, 
— The earth was originally designed for the abode, 
of man. See Gen. 1 : 26 — 28. But man does 



104 SHORT SERMONS OX SHORT TEXTS. 

not now enjoy the dignity which he once possessed. 
The crown has fallen from his brow, and his scep- 
tre lies in the dust. His inheritance groans be- 
neath the curse, and teems with briers and thorns. 
Earth is one vast battle-field, which has been red- 
dened with the blood of nntold millions. It is an 
hospital, w^here thousands on thousands groan and 
sigh. It is a burying-ground, where the rich and 
the poor are laid side by side. It is the place of 
Christ's crucifixion, of the church's oppression, and 
of Satan's apparent victory. In short, it is the 
theatre of man's rebellion, the devil's usurped ter- 
ritory, and the place of Christ's purchase. 

But will earth remain forever so desolate and 
dreary ? The world by their wisdom cannot an- 
swer this question. Men have tried to fertilize 
the earth, stay the ravages of disease, tod prolong 
life ; yet the curse remains, men die, and the 
world's skill is baflled. But the word of inspira- 
tion gives a direct answer. It points to a time 
when there shall be no more curse, and then shall 
earth again look beautiful. This is embraced in 
the Abrahamic covenant: ^' For the promise that 
he should be the heir of the world " [jcoor//oi', the 
habitable globe, the earth] '^ was not to Abraham, 
or to his seed, through the law, but through the 
righteousness of faith." — Rom. 4: 13. Com- 
pare Gen. 13 : 14—17 ; 17 : 7, 8, with Acts 7 : 
2 — 5. The earth is promised to Christ as the 
territory of his kingdom (Bev. 11 : 15), and to the 
saints as their everlasting inheritance. Bead Dan. 
7 : 17, 18, 21, 22, 27; Psalm 87th ; Matt. 5 : 5. 



ALL THINGS xMALE NEW. 105 

^^ The meek sliall inlicrit the eartli. and shall 
delight themselves in the abundance of peace.'' 

But before the earth is made the abode of im- 
mortal men, it must be renewed. A fiery baptism 
is in reserve for it. " For the day of the Lord 
will come as a thief in the nio-ht ; in the which the 
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and 
the elements shall melt with fervent heat ; the 
earth also and the works that are therein shall be 
burned up." — 2 Peter, 3d chapter. Then He 
who sits upon the throne shall make all things new, 
and an earth, beautiful and glorious, shall come 
from the hand of its great Regenerator. The first 
dominion shall be restored to the tower of the 
flock. The cries of the blood-stained warrior shall 
be hushed, and Peace shall wave her sceptre high 
over the nations of the saved. 

11. There will he neio heavens. — The heavens 
Avhich are spoken of as passing away in connection 
with the dissolution of the earth, we understand to 
be the atmospheric heavens, or the air which sur- 
rounds the globe. In the Scriptures we read of 
^^the fowls of the air"' (Matt. 6 : 26), and of 
^' the fowls of the heavens" (Jer. 4 : 25), which 
shows that the -^heavens" and '^ the air" are 
sometimes used synonymously. We do not suppose 
that the heaven where the throne of God now is 
will need purification. But the aerial heavens are 
frequently the vehicle of disease, and the region of 
storms, — the place where the vivid lightnings 
flash, and the loud thunders roar ; consequently • 
God will make new heavens to surround the new 



106 SIIOKT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS- 

earth, where stormy winds will never sweep, nor 
a poisonous breath be Mt. 

The new heavens are expressly named but four 
times in the sacred Scriptures, — twice in the Old 
Testament and twice in the New, — in the following 
places : '^ For, behold, I create new heavens and a 
new earth ; and the former shall not be remem- 
bered nor come into mind.'^ — Isa. 65 : 17. '• For 
as the new heavens and the new earth which I 
will make shall remain before me, saith the Lord, 
so shall your seed and your name remain." — Isa. 
66: 22. ^-Nevertheless we, according to his 
promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, 
wherein dwelleth righteousness." — 2 Peter 8 : 13. 
''' And I saw a new heaven and a new earth ; for 
the first heaven and the first earth were passed 
away ; and there was no more sea." — Rev. 21 : 
1. Some expositors understand the latter passage 
to teach that there will be no sea on the new earth ; 
but such I do not regard as being the import of 
the text. The original words might be translated, 
''- and the sea was no more ; " and thus the senti- 
ment of the text would be that John saw a new 
heaven and a new earth, because the former 
heaven, earth and sea, had passed away together, 
being dissolved by fire in the manner described hy 
Peter. 

If, in '^the restitution of all things spoken of 
by the holy prophets," there should be a sea on 
the new earth, it will be something that the Creator 
can pronounce ''very good;"" for everything 
there will be beautiful and delightful in its sea- 
son. We suppose no waste lands and sandy des- 



ALL THINGS MADE NEW. 107 

erts will be seen; for ^'in the wilderness shall 
waters break out, and streams in the desert. And 
the parched ground shall become a pool, and the 
thirsty land springs of water." The heavens 
above will be serene, and the air pure and invig- 
orating. The chilling winds of autumn will not 
be felt, nor the drifting storms of winter be feared. 
The inhabitants of the land will enjoy perennial 
youth, and the Lamb which is in the midst of the 
throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto 
living fountains of waters. 

III. There loill be the New Jerusalem located 
on the new earth, — The old Jerusalem was the 
capital of the kingdom of David, but the New 
Jerusalem will be the metropolis of the kingdom 
of God on earth ; for we read '' the throne of God 
and of the Lamb shall be in it." — Rev. 22 : 3. 
It is now in heaven (Gal. 4 : 26), but its descent 
to earth is thus described : — " And I John saw 
the holy city. New Jerusalem, coming down from 
God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned 
for her husband." This is the city for which 
Abraham looked ; ''for he looked for a city which 
hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." 
— Heb. 11 : 10. This is the inheritance which is 
incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away ; 
which is reserved in heaven, but ready to be 
revealed in the last time. — 1 Peter 1 : 3 — 5. This 
city will abide forever ; "for here have we no con- 
tinuing city, but vfe seek one to come." — Heb. 
13 : 11. The cities of earth are corruptible and 
pass away. Where now is Babylon, the glory of 
kingdoms, that was once so famed for its hanging 



108 SHORT SERMONS OX SHORT TEXTS. 

gardens and works of art ? It is now a heap of 
ruins ; but the city of God is not composed of the 
stones and bricks of this old earth — it is a heavenly 
structure, and the material of which it is composed 
w^ill endure forever. In Rev. 21st and 22d 
chapters, we have a glorious description of this city, 
which needs no sun, where the dark shadows of 
evening will never fall, and in which Immanuel 
shall be enthroned. As we read, our hearts burn 
within us with desire to be there, and oftentimes 
we anxiously inquire. Who shall be the inheritors 
of that goodly land ? 

IV. New creatures laill dwell in the holy city. 
— '• There shall in no wise enter into it anything 
that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomina- 
tion, or maketh a lie ; but they who are written 
in the Lamb's book of life.'' — Chap. 21 : 2T. 
Therefore it is written, '' Blessed are they that do 
his commandments, that they may have right to 
the tree of life, and may enter in through the 
gates into the city." Those w^ho do his command- 
ments constitute the church ; and if the city itself 
symbolizes the church, as some suppose, then we 
must regard the sentiment of the text as being : 
Blessed is the church that goeth into the church ! 
But ought we not rather to understand the city as 
symbolizing something of its own order, viz., a 
literal city, just as we consider that the new 
heavens and new earth which John saw symbolize 
the literal heavens and earth of Isaiah and Peter ? 
vind if we understand a literal city to be intended, 
then those who reside in it must be the saved of 
all ages, and the city with its occupants would 



ALL THINOS MADE NEW. 109 

constitute the bride^ the Lamb's wife. See Isaiah 
62: 4. 

The people of God are called in the Scriptures 
^^new creatures." " Therefore, if any man be in 
Christ, he is a new creature ; old things are passed 
away ; behold, all things are become new.'' — 2 Cor. 
5:17. The body of an individual at conversion 
undergoes no extraordinary change ; he has to eat, 
drink and work, much as formerly ; yet a great 
moral change takes place. He changes masters ; 
consequently the members of his body, which he 
before yielded as '' instruments of unrighteousness 
unto sin " and Satan, he now yields '' as instru- 
ments of rio:;hteousness unto God." — Rom. 6 : 12 
— 20. His hands, with which he would before 
steal, are now employed in honest labor ; his ears, 
which formerly were delighted with obscene songs 
and vain witticisms, now listen with delight to ex- 
positions of God's word and sayings that are good ;-- — 
his eyes, with which he pored over novels and 
other light reading, are now used in reading the 
Bible and useful books ; his tongue, which was 
'• an unruly evil, full of deadly poison," and '' a 
world of iniquity," is now used to praise God and 
benefit mankind : his feet, which formerly fre- 
quented the halls of mirth, the grog-shop, or places* 
of vanity, are now used in going to the house of 
prayer and on errands of mercy ; and, in short, he 
is a changed man. His hope is like an anchor to 
the soul, sure and steadfast, and reacheth unto 
that within the vail ; he rejoiceth not in iniquity, 
but rejoiceth in the truth ; he has the fear of God 
before his eyes ; his affection is placed on things 
10 



110 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

above, and not on things on the earth : he sorrow- 
eth not as others without hope when he is called 
to part with friends ; he is a new creature. 

But} notwithstanding believers in Jesus have ^' a 
new heart '' given to them, and '^ a new spirit " 
put within them, they fall like other men under 
Death's tyrannic sway. They die, but it is in the 
Lord ; and ^' precious in the sight of the Lord is 
the death of his saints." They are taken away 
from the evil to come, and await the resurrection 
morn, when the prey shall be taken from the 
mighty, and the captive saints be delivered. At 
the coming of the Lord the bodies of the resur- 
rected ones shall be renewed, and thus having 
obtained a moral and a physical change, these new 
creatures shall be fully qualified to reside forever 
on the new earth. 

V. A new song loill be sung by the redeemed. 
— '^ The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and 
come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon 
their heads : they shall obtain joy and gladness, 
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.'' — Isa. 
35 : 10. The victors on the sea of glass will 
^' sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and 
the song of the Lamb." But there is one song 
which the whole church triumphant can join in 
singing. It is the song of redemption. It is re- 
corded of the four living creatures and four and 
twenty elders, — the representatives of the re- 
deemed of our race, — that they ''sung a neio 
song, saying. Thou art worthy to take the book, 
and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, 
and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of 



. ALL THINGS MADE NEW. Ill 

every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation ; 
and hast made us unto our God kings and priests : 
and we shall reign on the earth." — E.ev. 5 : 9, 
10. This song will ever be new and delightful, 
and unlike many of the songs of earth which soon 
wear out. 

In conclusion, let us endeavor to take in at a 
glance the beautiful picture of new things which 
God holds up before us in his word. Here we 
listen to the new song as it is sung by new crea- 
tures in the New Jerusalem, on the new earthy 
under the new heavens. A more glorious collec- 
tion of new things Avas never made since man 
sinned in Eden's garden. He who created the 
earth at first, alone has the power to say, "Beholdj 
I make all things new ! *' and when He says so, 
the work will be don^. This is a truth so precious 
and important that memory could not be trusted 
to retain it: " He said unto me, Wi^ite : for these 
words are true and faithful." May we read this 
written truth with a teachable heart, believe and 
meditate upon it, till we shall exchange the songs 
of the church militant for the song of the church 
triumphant in the kingdom of God. 



SERMON XL 

WHO SHALL INHERIT ALL THINGS ? 

^' He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be 
his God, and he shall be my son." — Roy. 21 : 7. 

There are many '-exceeding great and pre- 
cious promises" scattered throughout the Bible. 
These, like stars in the sky, serve to brighten and 
beautify the pathway of the Christian as he jour- 
neys from this world to that which is to come. 
Men may m^ake promises and intentionally break 
them, but the promises of God are " all yea, and 
amen in Christ Jesus/*' Men may make promises 
with all sincerity of intention, and afterwards, 
through sickness, death, or some other unforeseen 
circumstance, be unable to fulfil them : but God is 
not slack concerning his promises, as some men 
count slackness, and what he has promised he is 
able to perform. As dewdrops glisten in the sun- 
beam.s, so the Lord's promises, while the rays of 
the Sun of righteousness fall upon them, beau- 
tifully shine to cheer the heart of the w^ay-worn 
pilgrim. And while they cheer and encourage his 
heart, they make his body a fit temple for the 
Holy Ghost to dwell in ; for as fish found in the 
salt Avater are fresh, so Christians while dwelling 



WHO SHALL INHERIT ALL THINGS? 113 

in a corrupt* world are required to be liolj. One 
of these precious, sanctifying promises is now 
before us. Let us take into consideration, 

I. What is inipUed ia the verb^ to overcome. 

These words obviously imply a state of conflict 
or warfare, engaged in before the day of final 
retribution. And nowhere in the Scriptures is the 
Christian (but more especially the Christian 
minister) represented as a man at ease. He is 
sometimes spoken of as a traveller, and the way 
on which he walks is '^ narrow"' and beset with 
dangers, which requires him to be sober and watch 
unto praj^er. Again, he appears before us as a 
racer, forgetting the things which are behind, and 
reachinor forth unto those thino;s which are before, 
that he may obtain the prize of the high calling 
of God in Christ Jesus. Anon we see hi*n in the 
distance as a shepherd, with his crook in his hand, 
watchino; over the flock entrusted to his care, or 
gathering the lambs with his arm and carrying 
them in his bosom. Again, we see him a warrior, 
as our text implies, and his armor and foes pass in 
review before us. These and other similitudes 
which the Holy Spirit has employed to represent 
the believer, all teach us that the present state is 
oxiQ of conflict and of vigorous exertion. 

^' There is a battle to be fought ; 
An up-hill race to run ; 
A crown of glory to be sought, 
A victory to be won." 

But to overcome also implies ultimate victory; 
and this the believer in Jesus is sure to have. For 
10^ 



114 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

'^ Who shall separate him from the love of Christ? 
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or 
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? " Nay^ 
in all these things he is more than conqueror 
through Christ who loved him. Victory shall 
certainly turn on Zion's side. When two kings 
go to V7ar, their armies meet on the field of battle, 
and one king or the other must conquer. But he 
who conquers generally leaves many of his best 
officers and bravest soldiers dead upon the field. 
But not so with the Captain of our salvation. 
Abaddon's legions must yield before him. He will 
triumph without the loss of a soldier. It is true 
many of his soldiers may fall by death : but they 
fall with their armor on, and at their post, and 
w^hen the Kins^ of kino;s comes, he will blow the 
trumpet so long and loud that all his faithful ones 
shall hear the sound, put on immortality, and 
'' stand upon their feet, an exceeding great army.'^ 
He who thus triumphs is a conqueror, yea, more, 
than a conqueror, as our text indicates. 

II. What do tve overcome^ and How ? 

The foes of a Christian are neither few nor 
weak ; '' For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, 
but against principalities, against powers, against 
the rulers of the darkness of this w^orld, against 
spiritual wickedness in high places." Th^ fleshy 
or man's fallen, corrupt nature, has to be crucified, 
but it makes considerable resistance, for it hates to 
die. The loorld has to be overcome ; but it strug- 
gles mightily for the ascendency in these last days. 
And the devil has to be resisted and defeated ; 
but he is an ever- vigilant foe. We do not suppose 




WHO SHALL INHERIT ALL THINGS? 115 

liim to be omnipresent, for omnipresence is one of 
the attributes of God ; but there are many angels 
who sinned with him, and who are kept under 
chains of darkness, reserved unto the judgment 
of the great day ; — these can never come to the 
light of truth so as to be saved, and are, doubtless, 
with many of the demons, employed in the'service 
of Diabolos ; so that he may be said to be always 
present to tempt men, either by himself or by one 
of his agents. While our probation continues, 
there is no position that we can occupy where we 
shall be beyond the influence of his temptations. 
The performance of great and important duties is 
required of us. Foes numerous and powerful 
have to be overcome, and who is sufficient for these 
things ? How shall we conquer ? 

To be victorious we must exercise living faith in 
the promises of God ; ' ' For whosoever is born of 
God, overcometh the world ; and this is the vic- 
tory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that 
believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" — 1 
John 5 : 4, 5. We overcome the w^orld when we 
keep ourselves aloof from its corruptions, and bear 
patiently its trials and persecutions. ^^ The name 
of the Lord is a strong tower, into w^hich the 
righteous run and are safe." If we resist the 
devil, he will flee from us. If we meet him in the 
name of our conquering King, he will quit the 
field, for he trembles before the name of Jesus 
when it is used by the child of faith. 

We must keep on the armor of righteousness, 
which is described in Ephesians, 6th chapter ; and 



116 SHOET SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

also maintain, a spirit of prayer and watchfulness. 
Suppose a man in a boat in the midst of a stream 
should use but one oar, would not his boat turn 
round ? But if he used both oars his boat would go 
straight forward. So prayer is not of itself suf- 
ficient for the Christian ; he is commanded to 
" watch tmto prayer/'' and to ^' watch a?^c?pray." 
One duty is as necessary as the other. Thus he 
can overcome all his foes ^* by the blood of the 
Lamb and the word of his testimony.'' 

Ill, What are the blessings j^romised to 
those loho overcome ? 

It is affirmed in the text that they '' shall in- 
herit all things/"' or ^' these things " (as it reads 
in the margin), and the Lord will be their God, and 
they shall be his children. The ^^ things" re- 
ferred to are, doubtless, the new heaven and new 
earth, the New Jerusalem, the sorrowless state, and 
all the blessings promised in the former part of 
the chapter ; but perhaps there is an allusion to the 
millennial blessings mentioned in the epistles to the 
seven churches of Asia Minor. And as those 
promises are highly instructive and encouraging, 
we will examine them ; and we are the more in- 
clined to do so from the fact that it is written, 
^^He that hath an ear, let him hear what the 
Spirit saith unto the churches." These promises 
were not intended for one people, nor for one 
church, but for all who in every age enlist under 
the blood-stained banner of the Son of God. 

FIRST PROMISE. 

^' To him that overcome th will I ^ive to eat of 



WHO SHALL INHERIT ALL THINGS ? 117 

the tree of life which is in the midst of tbe para- 
dise of God."— Rev. 2: 7. 

The first time the tree of life is mentioned in 
the Bible is in the account we have of the ancient 
paradise, or garden of Eden. ^* And out of the 
ground made the Lord God to grow every tree 
that is pleasant to the sight and good for fruit ; 
the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, 
and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.'' — 
Genesis 2 : 9. When man sinned, the Lord God 
said, '' Behold the man is become as one of us, to 
know good and evil ; and now, lest he put forth 
his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat 
and live forever ; therefore the Lord God sent him 
forth from the o:arden of Eden, to till the sfround 
from whence he was taken. So he drove out the 
man, and placed at the east of the garden of Eden 
cherubims, and a flaming sword, which turned every 
way, to keep the way of the tree of life." — Gen. 
8 : 22, to last. Thus, through the sin of the first 
Adam, man was deprived of the liberty of eating 
of the tree, a blight passed over the fair face of 
creation, and earth's landlord was driven from 
the Eden bowers. 

After Adam's expulsion from the garden, the 
tree is lost sight of The first time afterwards 
that we hear it distinctly named is in the promise 
under consideration. In the restitution the tree 
is again seen. John, in describing the Xew Jeru- 
salem, says that on either side of the river of life, 
•' was there the tree of life, w^hich bare twelve 
manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every 
month, and the leaves of the tree were for the 



118 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

healino; of the nations.*' — Eev. 22 : 1 — 3. We 
have no account of the tree of knowledge as exist- 
ing in the paradise to come. For eating of it in 
the ancient paradise man was cursed. But of the 
city of God it is said, ''There shall be no more 
curse ; but the throne of Grod and of the Lamb 
shall he in it." If the tree of man's curse is ex- 
changed for the throne of God and of Christ, it 
will be a blessed exchange. We are assured, how- 
ever, that the tree of life will be there, and that 
redeemed men shall have access to it without any 
danger of ever losing their right to partake 
thereof, so that 

*' In Christ the tribes of Adam boast 
More glory than their father lost." 

SECOND PROMISE. 

^^He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the 
second death." — Rev. 2 : 11. 

The Christian soldier may fall under the power 
of the first death, which consists in the separation 
of the soul from the body ("for the body Avithout 
the spirit is dead," James 2 : 26), but comes not 
into the domain of the second death. , What the 
second death is we learn from the verse following 
our text: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, 
and the abominable, and murderers, and whore- 
mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, 
shall have their part" [or portion] "in 'the lake 
which burneth with fire and brimstone : which is 
the second death." As the first death consists in 
the separation of the spirit from the body, so the 



WHO SHALL INHERIT ALL THINGS? 119 

second death consists in the separation of the in- 
dividual from the peculiar presence and glory and 
kingdom of God, and confinement in the place pre- 
pared for the devil and his angels. — Rev. 22 : 10, 
11; Matt. 25: 41, 46. Not to be hurt of the 
second death, is to have part in the first resurrec- 
tion ; for ' ' Blessed and holy is he that hath part 
in the first resurrection : on such the second death 
hath no power, but they shall be priests of God 
and of Christ; and shall reign with him a thousand 
years." — Rev. 20: 6. The glory embraced in 
the promise to the church in Smyrna is obviously 
a millennial blessing. 

THIRD PROMISE. 

'' To him that overcometh will I give to eat of 
the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, 
and in the stone a new name written, which no 
man knoweth saving he that receive th it." — Rev. 
2: 17. 

When the Israelites journeyed forty years in 
the wilderness, God ^' gave them bread from heaven 
to eat," and '^man did eat angels' food," which 
was called manna. — John 6:31; Psa. 78 : 24, 
25. An omer full of it vvas put into a golden pot, 
and placed in the Holiest of all, to be kept for 
their generations, that they might see the bread 
wherewith their fathers w^ere fed in the wilderness. 
To this hidden manna allusion is probably made 
in the promise before us, and may indicate the 
heavenly sustenance of the redeemed in glory. 

Some suppose the '* white stone" refers to the 
ancient practice of judges in courts of justice giv- 



120 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS, 

ing their decision by means of stones ; a white 
stone denoting absolution and a blact one con- 
demnation. Others think it refers to the tessera 
received by some victors in the Olympic games, 
which secured to them some support from the gov- 
ernment. While, in the opinion of others, allu- 
sion is made to the mitre, or turban, of the Jewish 
high-priest, on the front of which was a golden 
plate, on which were inscribed the words, ^' Saa^ed 
to Jehovah ;'^ but the plate of gold is here 
exchanged for the white stone with the new name, 
and the promised blessing would be that the saints 
shall be made priests unto God and his Christ. 
But may not all of these ideas be included in the 
promise ? When Jesus, the great high-priest of 
our profession, shall leave the true holy place, 
even heaven itself, and come forth to bless his 
waiting people, all who overcome shall have their 
absolution declared — their sins will be found 
blotted out, and he will say unto them, ''Your 
sins and your iniquities will I remember no 
more;" then they will be priests unto God for- 
ever; being made "equal unto the angels,*' they 
will partake of angels' food, and be supported 
through endless ages by the government of 
heaven. 

FOURTH PROMISE. 

^' And he that overcometh, and keepeth my 
works unto the end, to him will I give power over 
the nations : and he shall rule them with a rod 
of iron ; as the vessels of a potter shall they be 
broken to shivers ; even as I received of my 



WHO SHALL INHERIT ALL THINGS? 121 

Father. And I will give liira the morning star." 
— Rev. 2 : 26—28. 

This promise embraces two things, the first of 
which is power over the nations. It is power 
similar to that promised by the Father to the Son 
in Psalm 2 : 8, 9 — •' Ask of me. and I will give 
thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the 
uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron ; thou 
shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.'' 
The exercise of this power with Christ will be 
granted to all who overcome : '' This honor 
have all his saints.'' See Psalm 149th. It v>ill 
be exercised by them when '' the Lord my God 
shall come, and all his saints Avith him," '* to exe- 
cute judgment upon all" the ungodly (Jude 14, 
15), which will be at the commencement of 
Christ's millennial reign. Read Rev. 19 : 11, to 
last. That the saints will be associated with 
Christ in the execution of judgment is suscep- 
tible of the plainest proof. — Matt. 19 : 28 ; Luke 
22 : 28—30 ; 1 Cor. 6 : 1—3. 

2. The morning star is promised. But what, 
or who is the morning star ? It is Christ him- 
self '' I Jesus .... am the bright and morn- 
ing star." — Rev. 22: 16. But how can Christ 
give us himself? By conferring upon us his own 
image or likeness at the resurrection. '• For our 
conversation is in heaven, from whence also we 
look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ" 
[that is, the morning star], -^ who shall change our 
vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his 
glorious body, according to the working whereby 
11 



122 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

he is able to subdue all things unto himself.'' — • 
Philip. 3 : 20. 21. Here the subjugation of all 
things to Christ is connected with the reception, 
by the believer, of his likeness : just as. in the 
promise under consideration, the reception of the 
morning star is associated with the judgment of 
the nations. Peter declares, '' We have a more 
sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well to 
take heed .... until the day dawn and the day- 
star arise in your hearts." The day-star will not 
be received while we are on the field of conflict, 
but after we overcome. It will arise in our hearts 
at the glorification of the saints. '^ For I reckon 
that the sufierings of this present time are not 
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall 
be revealed in us." — Rom. 8 : 18. 

riFTH PROMISE. 

^' He that overcome th, the same shall be clothed 
in white raiment ; and I will not blot out his name 
out of the book of life, but I will confess his name 
before my Father, and before his angels." — Rev. 
3: 5. 

'^ Fine linen, clean and white," symbolizes ''the 
righteousness of saints." — Chap. 19: 8. White 
raiment was worn by virgins on festive occasions, 
and is, therefore, a fit emblem of the virgin purity 
of the church when she shall be presented to the 
Father, ''without spot or wrinkle, or any such 
thing," and shall b'e seated at the marriage supper 
of the Lamb. Christians are citizens of the New 
Jerusalem, and are spoken of as having their 
names enrolled in the city register. In cities of 



WHO SHALL INHERIT ALL TIIIXGS? 123 

earth names thus inscribed are blotted out when 
life ceases, or when crime is committed by which 
they forfeit their privileges. Not to have their 
names blotted out of the book of life is to live 
forever, and enjoy the privileges of the city of 
God. And to have the name confessed before the 
Father, and before his angels, is to have Christ 
acknowdedge the victor a justified person, and en- 
titled to all the happiness of the heavenly city. 

SIXTH PROMISE. 

'^Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in 
the temple of my God, and he shall go no more 
out ; and I will Avrite upon him the name of my 
God, and the name of the city of my God, which 
is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of 
heaven from my God ; and I will write upon him 
my new name.'' — Rev. 3 : 12. 

The Christian church is sometimes spoken of as 
a holy temple. For ye ''are built upon the 
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus 
Christ himself being the chief corner-stone ; in 
whom all the building fitly, framed together 
groweth into an holy temple in the Lord." — 
Ephes. 2 : 21, 22. The material of which Solo- 
mon's temple was composed was prepared before it 
was l)rought to the place where the edifice w^as 
erected, and the sound of axe and hammer was 
not heard on the building when it was put up : so 
the material of the temple of God is now being 
prepared, and will be brought together in the 
morning of the resurrection ; and in this glorious 
temple, wdiich will be erected by a greater than 



124 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

Solomon on the new earth, such faithful Chris-- 
tians as those in Philadelphia will be pillars^ 
adding strength and solidity to the structure, and 
at the same time beautifying it. To have the name 
of the Father, and of the city of God, and 
Christ's new name (chap. 19 : 12), written upon 
the conqueror, indicates that he will belong to 
God and the New Jerusalem forever. 

SEVENTH PROMISE. 

^^ To him that overcometh will I grant to sit 
wdth me in my throne, even as I also overcame, 
and am set down with my Father in his throne.'' 
— Rev. 8 : 21. 

There are two thrones here specijBed : the 
throne of the Father ('^ Az'^ throne "), and the 
throne of the Son {^^ my throne''). Tlie throne 
of Christ is the throne of David. Said the angel 
Gabriel to Mary, " Thou shalt bring forth a son, 
and thou shalt call his name Jesus, .... and 
the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of 
his father David. And he shall reign over the 
house of Jacob forever : and of his kingdom there 
shall be no end." — Luke 1: 30 — 33; Isaiah 
9:6, 7. Christ is nowhere in the Scriptures 
represented as now sitting on his own proper 
throne. Ho is seated at the right hand of the 
Father, awaiting the time when he shall go forth 
and make his enemies his footstool. — Heb. 1:3; 
10 : 12, 13. He will ascend his promised throne 
at his second advent. — Matt. 25 : 31, 34 ; Luke 
19: 11—27; 2 Tim. 4: 1. The enthronement 
with Christ of all who overcome, teaches us that 



VfHO SHALL INHERIT ALL THINGS? 125 

they will be exalted to the dignity of kings, and 
will be ''joint heirs'' with him to the glory and 
blessedness of that kingdom which shall be estab- 
lished on the renovated earth. — Dan. 7 : 17, 18, 
27. 

The forecj-oin^ blessings are amonoi: the '' all 
things '' promised in our text. The faithful soldier 
of the cross can see before him the new earth, 
with the city of God upon it. The tree of life, 
richly laden with fruit, appears, waving its 
branches amid pure air, beneatli an unclouded 
sky, as if inviting him to eat. Exempt from the 
sufferings of the second death, the glory of the 
first resurrection is his. Heavenly manna is 
spread out before him, and he partakes of "the 
food of the mighty.'"' Fully absolved of all his 
sins, he rules the nations with the Son of God. 
The brightness of the morning star is his, for in 
robes of spotless purity he stands. Being placed 
beyond the reach of temptation, there is no dan- 
ger of sinning, and thereby forfeiting his rights 
of citizenship, but the book of life will contain 
his name forever. He is owned by the Son m the 
presence of the Father and the holy angels, and 
obtains a permanent place in the temple of God. 
Enthroned with Jesus, he has an inheritance that 
is incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not 
away. Everlasting sonship is bestowed upon him 
by the Father, and with a smile he is invited to 
"the palace of angels and God.'' These are some 
of the glories discovered by the enlightened mind 
as existing in the world to come whereof we speak. 
The child of faith exclaims. Through grace they 
11^ 



126 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

will be mine. Yes, reader, they may be yours. 
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ; 
fear not to trust in him. Put on the whole armor 
of God. Fight the good fight of faith ; lay hold 
on eternal life ; and remernber that only he who 
overcometh shall inherit all these things. 



SERMON XII. 

THE NUMBER OF THE SAVED. 

" Are there few that be saved ? " — Luke 13 : 23. 

The mission of our adorable Redeemer was em- 
phatically a mission of mercy. He "went about 
doing good," and, in this respect, left us an example 
that we should walk in his steps. It appears from 
the context that, at one time, as he went through 
the cities and villages of Judea, teaching and jour- 
neying towards Jerusalem, a certain individual 
(whether prompted by impertinence or curiosity, 
we cannot tell) said to him, •' Lord, are there few 
that be saved ? '"' Our Saviour, in giving a reply 
to this inquiry, did not address himself particu- 
larly to the one who questioned him, but to the 
multitude : -'He said unto them^ Strive to enter 
in at the strc^it gate;'' thus showing that, what- 
ever the number of the saved may be, it is our 
duty to give all diligence to make our calling 
and election sure, that we may be of the num- 
ber of those who shall be redeemed from among 
men. 

I presume it will be generally admitted that the 
salvation referred to in the question is not a salva- 
tion from some national judgment, or merely tem- 
poral calamity^ but the final salvation of soul and 



128 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

body, which is so often mentioned in the word 
of Grod. The salvation of God's people is not 
wholly received in this world, but is present and 
future in its manifestation. They are saved here 
from the guilt, dominion and damning influence 
of sin, and from the wrath of God hereafter. The 
Son of God is called Jesus, ''for he shall save 
his people from their sins." — Matt. 1 : 21. And 
"God commendeth his love tojyards us, in that, while 
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much 
more, then, being now justified by his blood, we 
shall be saved from wrath through him.'' — Rom. 
1: 18; 2: 3—12, 16 ; 5 : 6—10. Of the 
church in Thessalonica we read, "Ye turned to 
God from idols to serve the living and true God : 
and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he 
raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivered 
us from the wrath to come." — 1 Thess. 1:9, 
10. 

As salvation implies danger, or a loss already 
sustained and another threatened, it might be well 
to consider briefly the loss which Adam the first 
sustained when he sinned in Eden. His trans- 
gression brought upon him a threefold loss : it 
affected his mind, body and inheritance. As, when 
a stone is thrown into a pool of water, circles are 
formed around the place where it fell, which grow 
wider and larger till they are lost in the distance 
or dash against the shore ; so, when man sinned, 
the curse first rested on his soul ; it began inwardly, 
and worked outwardly. His mind was alienated 
from God, the seeds of mortality Avere sown in 
his system, and his inheritance passed measurably 



THE NUMBER OF THE SAVED. 129 

into tlie hands oF a usurper. What is now to be 
done ? The second Adam undertakes our case* 
Through his death and merits all believers ^'have 
the mind of Christ;" the love of God is shed 
abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost which is 
given unto them ; they '^ vrait for the adoption, to 
wit, the redemption of their body," which will be 
received at the second coming of Christ ; at which 
time their body will be changed, and made like 
his glorious body. After this the inheritance will 
be restored; for ^'the righteous shall inherit the 
land, and dwell therein forever." Thus God, also, 
by his grace in removing the curse, begins in- 
wardly and works outwardly ; and only those 
whose hearts are brouo-ht under the savino; influ- 
ence of divine grace in this world have any just 
reason to expect eternal salvation in the world to 
come. Hence, we are led to say, in answer to 
the inquiry •* Are there few that be saved ? " — 

I. All men loill not be saved. 

There is no doctrine more plainly taught in the 
Bible than that the Lord looks upon the human 
family as constituting two great classes — the 
righteous and wicked — saints and sinners. One 
class will be saved, and the, other lost. There is 
no diflSculty in finding texts to prove this, but the 
difficulty, if it exists anywhere, lies in not know- 
ing what texts to select, from among the many, as 
being most appropriate. Let us examine a few. 
'■^ The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all 
the nations that forget God." — Psa. 9 : 17. 
'• Hell" cannot here mean the grave, as, in that 
case, the righteous and those who remember God 



130 SHORT BEKMGNS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

would be turned mto it as well as the wicked. 
Again, ^' Be not afraid of them that kill the bodj^ 
and after that have no more that they can do . . . 
but fear him, whOj after he hath killed, hath power 
to cast into hell ; yea, I say unto you, fear bim.'^ 
— Luke 12: 4, 5. Here '^hell" cannot refer 
to the remorse of conscience which a transgressor 
of God's law feels in this life, as it is after the 
death of the body that he is to be cast into hell. 
Neither can it mean the grave, for such a signifi- 
cation attached to the word would make the 
counsel of Christ amount to this : Be not afraid 
of one who has power to murder you, and has no 
more that he can do ; but fear him who has power 
to cast your dead and mangled body into the 
grave ! As such nonsense as this could not have 
fallen from the lips of Christ, we conclude that 
by ^^hell" he means a place of future punish- 
ment. 

We turn again to Matt. 25 : 81—46, where we 
have an account of the day of judgment. We 
there see one class placed on the right hand of 
the JudgCj and invited to inherit the kingdom pre- 
pared for them from the foundation of the world ; 
while the other is placed on his left, and sentenced 
to the place prepared for the devil and his angels. 
There are two " prepared ^^ places: one originally 
prepared for righteous men, and the other origi- 
nally prepared for the devil and his angels ; but 
all those who are '^ of their father, the devil,'' and 
do the lusts of their father (John 8 : 44), must 
have a dwelling-place with him. ^' For these shall 
go away into eternal [uivovior] punishment, but the 



THE NUMBER OF ^^IIE SAVED. 131 

righteous into eternal [oiLcx)iuor\ life." The apostle 
Paul, in Galat. 5 : 19 — 21, enumerates seventeen 
sins, and aflSrms '^'that they who do such things 
shall not inherit the kingdom of God.'' And John 
teaches that those who believe " on the Son of God 
have everlasting life ; but he that believeth not 
the Bon shall not see life ; but the wrath of God 
abldeth on him." — John 3: 36. And again, 
*' The fearful and unbelieving .... shall have 
their part in the lake w^hich burneth with fire and 
brimstone, which is the second death." — Rev. 
21 : 8. A resurrection from the second death 
(whatever the nature of that death may be) I have 
never been able to find within the lids of the Bible; 
hence I am driven to the conclusion that all w^ill 
not be saved. 

II. When we look at the human family as a 
whole, we say, there will be ma^iy saved. 

We have good reason to believe that all children 
who die in infancy w^ll be numbered with the ran- 
somed ; for our Saviour said, ''Of such is the 
kingdom of God." The righteousness of the sec- 
ond Adam covers the Adamic transgression ; ''for 
as by one man's disobedience many were made 
sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be 
made righteous. None, therefore, will be con- 
demned except for actual transgression. A large 
number of the human race die in infancy, and 
there is hope in their' end, that "they shall come 
again from the land of the enemy," and that " they 
shall come again to their own border." Compare 
Jeremiah 31 : 15—17, with Matthew 2 : 16—18. 

But we have more direct evidence that the num- 



132 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

ber of the saved will be great. God promised to 
Abraham that in his seed all the families of the 
earth should be blessed. Christ is Abraham's 
seed (Gal. 3 : 16), and, according to the song of 
the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders 
(Rev. 5 : 8 — 10), those redeemed through the 
blood of the Lamb will be sufficiently numerous to 
meet that promise. ^ ' And they sung a new song, 
saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to 
open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain and hast 
redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every 
kindred, and people, and tongue, and nation." 
The phrase '-^ out of^^ implies that there is some- 
thing left ; and, as here used, it teaches that while 
the redeemed will be many, yet there will be some 
belonging to all nations who will be unredeemed, 
and, consequently, unsaved. Again, the seer of 
Patmos says, ^* After this I beheld, and, lo, a great 
multitude, which no man could number, of all na- 
tions, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues, stood 
before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed in 
white robes, and palms in their hands ; and cried 
with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, 
who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." 
— Rev. 7: 9, 10. These scriptures warrant us 
in saying that '-'^ many shall come from the east 
and west, and shall sit down in the kingdom of 
heaven ; " and perhaps it may be found true, at 
last, that the number of the saved will nearly equal 
the number of the lost. 

III. When 10 e consider only those ivho have 
come to years of tender standing, and are capable 



THE NUMBER OF THE SAVED. 133 

of makhifj a choice of their own^ we say of 
them^ but few will he saved. 

Of these, undoubtedly, our Lord speaks when 
he says, ' ' Enter ye in at the strait gate, for wide 
is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to 
destruction, and many there be who go in thereat. 
Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way 
whiijh leadeth unto life, and few there be that find 
it." — Matt. 7 : 13, 14. Here are two gates, two 
roads, two companies, and two places of destina- 
tion. One gate is wide, the way is broad, the 
multitude choose to walk in it, and at its termina- 
tion lies the pit of destruction. The other gate is 
strait, the way is narrow, and but few choose to 
walk therein, although it leads to eternal life. 
This text, which gives a true picture of the world 
at the first advent, is equally true to-day ; and 
there is no reason to expect that the broad way 
will be deserted and the narrow way thronged 
while this age lasts. Observation teaches us that 
but few now deliberately choose to enter on the 
narrow way, by repentance toward God and faith 
toward our Lord Jesus Christ. 

How impressive, then, are the words following 
our text, " Strive to enter in at the strait gate ! " 
That is as if he had said, ^' Seeing the multitude 
pass through the wide gate, and travel down the 
broad road to perdition, it is your duty, it will be 
for your best interests, to strive, to agonize, to be 
in earnest, to enter in at the strait gate ; for 
many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and 
shall not be able." It is true now that ''every 
one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh 
12 



134 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

findeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be 
opened" (Matt. 7 : 7, 8) ; but "when once the 
master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to 
the door, and ye begin to stand without and to 
knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto 
us, and he shall answer and say unto you, I know 
you not, whence ye are," then it will be also true 
that many shall seek to enter in, and shall not be 
able. Now^ whosoever will may come and take 
the water of life freely ; but the time is at hand 
when it shall be said, " He that is unjust, let him 
be unjust still ; and he that is filthy, let him be 
filthy still ; and he that is righteous, let him be 
righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be 
holy still." Then the state of all will be unalter- 
ably fixed, and prayer will be in vain. " Then 
shall they call upon me," saith he whose name is 
Wisdom, " but I will not answer ; they shall seek 
me early, but they shall not find me ; for that 
they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear 
of the Lord ; they would none of my counsel ; 
they despised all my reproof Therefore shall 
they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled 
with their own devices." — Proverbs 1 : 24 — 33. 

As this decisive day will soon be here, the words 
of the prophet should come home to every heart, 
" Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call 
ye upon him while he is near." This language 
implies that a time will come when the Lord can- 
not be found, and a period will arrive when he 
will not be near ; in view of which it is said, 
^'Let the wicked forsake his way, and the un- 
righteous man his thoughts, and let him return 



THE NUMBER OF THE SAVED. 135 

"ETiio the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him ; 
?.nd to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.'' 
— Isaiah 55 : 6, 7. Jehovah will not pardon one 
^lin only, but all the sins of the believing penitent ; 
nor will he pardon but once, ' ' he will multiply to 
pardon,'' as it reads in the margin; that is, he 
will pardon frequently. Should backsliders re- 
solve to return unto the Lord their God, they have 
this promise, among others, to encourage them, 
'' I will heal their backslidings, I will love them 
freely." — Hosea 14: 1, 4. And why should 
they not come ? Have they not been long enough 
wandering on the barren side of the mountain, 
where there is neither dew nor rain ? Have not 
their harps already been too long hung in silence 
upon the willows of Babylon ? Have they not 
tasted sorrow enough while away from Father's 
house ? If so, why not return to God to-day ? 
Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salva- 
tion ; to-morrow it may be too late. Come noio to 
Christ in faith and prayer, and you will find his 
grace exceedingly abundant towards you ; but if 
you refuse to comply with his invitation, you must 
soon exclaim, in despair, ''The harvest is past, 
the summer is ended, and we are not saved." 

In conclusion, let me ask the poor sinner — one 
who has never made a profession of religion — 
how shall you escape, if you neglect so great sal- 
vation as that which is freely offered you in Christ ? 
The judgment-day is rapidly approaching ; stay 
away from the bar of God yoa cannot ; to bribe the 
Judge is also out of the question, and to break the 
prison of hell is impossible. HoW; then, shall you 



136 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

escape? There is a way of escape before you 
now; there will be none then. Neglect God's 
oflerect mercy no longer. Christ is the way, the 
truth, and the life ; '^ No man can come unto the 
Father but by him.*' — John 14 : 6. But he that 
Cometh to him, through Christ, now^ he will in no 
wise cast out. Look at the city of God, with its 
jasper wails, gates of pearl, streets of gold, tree of 
life, and all its inexpressible glory, and remember 
you may have a home there. Yes, all in heaven 
bid you welcome. God the Father is willing you 
should be saved ; and as an evidence of his love he 
gave his only-begotten Son to die for you. God 
the Son is willing ; and to prove this we have only 
to look at the cross on Calvary, where he gave his 
life a ransom for many. God the Spirit is willing ; 
and therefore he convinces you of sin and urges 
you to repent. The holy angels are willing ; and it 
would give them joy to see you returning to God, 
The gates of the city are open, too, as if inviting 
you to enter ; and why not force your passage to 
the skies ? It is between you and the city's gates 
your foes are, and not in the city itself. Your 
foes are numerous ; — there stands Shame, ready 
to say. Do not get religion ; for, if you do, your 
companions will laugh at you ; — there is Pro- 
crastinatio7i, who is willing to admit that religion 
is a good thing, but he says. There is time enough 
to get it ; do not be in a hurry ; — there is Pleas- 
ure, who says, Come to me, and I will give rest ' 
to your soul ; — there is the World, anxious to 
engross your mind, and to say that if you get re- 
ligion you cannot keep it ; — and there is a dili- 



THE NUMBER OF THE SAVED. 137 

gent devil^ wlio at one time will endeavor to lull 
you asleep in carnal security, by telling you there 
is no danger, your sins are not -great, and you are 
as well off as many others; and if he does not suc- 
ceed in this, he will endeavor to drive you to de- 
spair. Now, what is to be done ? Must you yield 
to Satan's devices and be damned ? No, no ! be 
of good courage ; confess your sins before God, 
and he is faithful and just to forgive your sins, 
and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 
John 1 : 7 — 10), put on the armor of light, en- 
dure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, 
abide in him, and your foes will fall before you, 
and you shall ha.ve a home in the eternal city. 
12^ 



A CHAPTER FOR THINKING ONES. 

WHAT' IS TRUTH? 

The holy Scriptures, or the word of God, are 
truth, and from them we learn : 

I. Jesus Christ will come again to earth per- 
sonally, visibly and gloriously, attended by the 
holy angels. His advent is announced, 

1. By prophets. Psalm 50 : 3 — 6 ; 96 : 
11—13 ; 98 : 8, 9 ; Isaiah 66 : 15, 16 ; Dan. 
7: 9—14; Jude 14, 15. 

2. By Christ himself. Matt. 16: 26, 27; 
Luke 21 : 24—28 ; Matt. 25 : 81 ; John 14 : 3, 
18, compared with Luke 24 : 367—44. 

3. By angels. Psalm 68 : 17, 18, with Acts 
1 : 9—11. And, 

4. By inspired apostles. 1 Thess. 4: 16; 
Philip. 3 : 20, 21 ; 1 Peter 5 : 4; 1 John 2 : 28; 
3 : 2,3; Rev. 1 : 5—7 ; Acts 3 : 19—21. 

The sum of the evidence is this : ^^ Our God 
shall come'' — Prophets ; ^' The Son of man shall 
come" — Jesus ; '' This same Jesus shall so come" 
— Angels ; ^' The Lord himself shall descend from 
heaven" — Paul ; which language is so plain and 
obvious that there is no difficulty in believing that 
a future, personal coming is meant, but the diffi- 
culty lies in making it mean anything else. 

11. As there are two classes on the earth — the 



WHAT IS TRUTH? 139 

righteous and the wicked — so there will be two 
resurrections, a thousand years apart : 

1. The ''resurrection of the just" at the com- 
ing of our Lord. Psalm 49 : 14, 15 ; Isa. 27 : 
19th verse, contrasted with verses 13, 14; Luke 
14 : 14 ; John 6 : 39, 40, 44; (What peculiar bless- 
ing is here promised, if all men are raised from the 
dead at the same time — ''at the last day " ?) 1 
Corinth. 15: 21—23; Philip. 3: 11. "If by 
any means I might attain unto [tj]v e^avcxiiaatv low 
rex.Qb}v] the resurrection f7^o?7i among the dead-'' 
See also verses 20, 21 ; Heb. 11 : 35 ; 1 Thess. 
4: 13—17. "The dead in Christ shall rise 
first ^^^ that is, before the living saints are taken 
from the earth ; but, observe, they are only the 
dead in Christ who are here said to rise at his 
coming. — Rev. 20 : 5, 6, comp. with Luke 
20 : 35, 36. 

2. The resurrection of the wicked at the end of 
the millennium. John 5:28, 29— "The hour 
[^^«] is coming," &c., that is, the season or time 
(as in verses 25th and 35th) ; but the length of 
the season between "the resurrection of life" and 
" the resurrection of damnation " is not here given, 
but we learn from Rev. 20 : 5, that it is a thou- 
sand years in duration. 

IIL The kingdom of God came, or was offered 
to the Jewish nation, when Christ rode into Jeru- 
salem as the King of the Jews, in accordance with 
the proclamation previously made, " The kingdom 
of heaven is at hand."— Mark 11 : 1—11. The 
King was by the nation rejected, and, therefore, 



140 SHORT SERMONS ON SHORT TEXTS. 

the kingdom was taken from tliem. — Matt. 21 : 
33—44. 

2. The kingdom of God was seen in miniature 
when Jesus Avas transfigured, in accordance with 
the promise, '' There be some standing here which 
shall not taste of death till they see the kingdom of 
God.''— Luke 9 : 27—85 ; 2 Peter 1 : 15—19. 

3. While the elements of the kingdom now exist 
in a scattered condition, the kingdom cannot be 
said to be set up till these elements are brought 
together, which will be at the destruction of worldly 
kingdoms (Dan. 2 : 35, 44), at^the expiratioi^ of 
the times of the Gentiles (Luke 21 : 24—31), 
at the sounding of the seyenth trumpet (Eey. 
11 : 14, 15), or, in other words, at the appearing 
of the Lord (2 Tim. 4:1). And, as the estab- 
lishment of the kingdom is in the future, we may 
yet daily pray, ' ' Thy kingdom come ' ' (no-t 
'^ advance'''^ ; believing, too, that the prayer will 
soon be answered ; for ^' in his times he shall show 
who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King 
of kings and Lord of lords." May the tiord 
hasten it in his time ! 



MISCELLANEOUS PIECES 



THE MAN CHRIST JESUS. 

" And a man shall be as an hiding-place from the wind, and 
a covert from the tempest ; as rivers of water in a dry place ; 
as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land."-^Isa. 32 : 2. 

Among the various similitudes employed in the 
Scriptures of truth to teach the happiness of those 
who are united to Christ by faith, there are, per- 
haps, none more appropriate than those contained 
in this text. And, as the character of the Saviour 
is a subject on which his people love to meditate, 
let us with a spirit of prayer endeavor to draw 
consolation from this '^exceedingly great and pre- 
cious promise." 

The first figure used we may regard as being 
that of a traveller who is at a distance from his 
home. As he proceeds in his journey, he sees the 
heavens gather blackness, and is aware that a 
storm is approaching. Soon the loud roar of the 
thunder falls upon his ear ; he sees the vivid light- 
ning flash athwart the skies ; a.nd as he hears the 
wind howling through the forest, he is forcibly 
reminded of the fact that he needs a shelter. As 



142 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

the rain begins to fall in torrents, he arrives at a 
house which he is kindly invited to enter ; he goes 
in, and finds that all things, necessary to make 
him comfortable, are prepared. There he can sit 
and watch the tempest as it rages without, know- 
ing that he is in safety. Such a covert as this 
' the ''' man Christ Jesus " is to his followers. The 
sinner stands exposed to the storm of divine wrath 
while out of Christ ; but when he sees his danger, 
and flees for refuge to the hope set before him in 
the gospel, he is secure. He then finds the Sa- 
viour to be a very present help in trouble. Through 
the trials of this life he is sustained, and in refer- 
ence to the future can say, '' Though the earth be 
removed, and though the mountains be carried into 
the midst of the sea ; though the waters thereof 
roar and be troubled, and the mountains shake 
with the swelling thereof, yet will not I fear, for 
the Lord of hosts is a refuge for me.'' 

'^ He views the tempest passing by, 
Sees evening shadows quickly fly, 
And all serene — in heaven." 

Another simile employed is that of ^'rivers of 
water in a dry place." This reminds us of the 
words of the Lord by the same prophet, ^^ I will 
pour w^ater upon him that is thirsty, and floods 
upon the dry ground. I will pour my Spirit upon 
thy seed and my blessing upon thine oSspring. 
And they shall spring up as among the grass, as 
willows among the water-courses." — Chap. 44 : 
3, 4. What an appropriate figure of the Holy 
Spirit are rivers of living water ! The Spirit, 



THE MAN CHRIST JESUS. 143 

like water, purifies the heart, allays the thirst for 
earthly things, and invigorates the fainting mind. 
The weary traveller, fainting with thirst, longs for 
the cooling stream where he can drink, wash, and 
be refreshed. So it is with the Christian ; he can 
say, "As the hart panteth after the water-brook, 
so panteth my soul after thee, God." He knows 
the truth of the proverb, "As cold water to a 
thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." 
When he hears about the "better country," even 
the one for which Abraham looked, it is then he 
can rejoice. 

The last figure in the text is, " The shadow of 
a great rock in a weary land." Think of a poor 
pilgrim travelling beneath a burning sun ; his gait 
bespeaks him weary, and the drops of sweat that 
stand on his brow declare that he is oppressed by 
the heat. Would not such an one understand this 
expression ? Would he not long for the shadow 
of a great rock, Avhere he could sit and rest his 
weary limbs ? But far more precious is Christ to 
his people. To them, especially, this world is a 
weary land. And cannot even the worldling see 
it to be such if he would but consider ? Let him 
think of battle-fields strewed with millions of the 
slain ; let him listen to the groans of the dying, 
the sighs of the widow and of the orphan ; let 
him visit death-beds, and see parents weeping for 
their children, and children mourning the loss of 
parents; go to the hospitals and prisons of our 
land; hear the slaves groan beneath their chains 
or the lash of their cruel masters. But need I 



144 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

multiply instances of misery? Nay, ^'the whole 
creation groaneth and travaileth in pain." 

While to the wicked it may seem to be such, 
yet it is more so to the saint, for, besides those 
things which are without, there is conflict within 
his breast ; he has the world, the flesh and the 
devil to contend with ; yet he has rest in Christ, 
for, being justified by faith, he has peace with 
God. He can compare Christ to a fruitful tree, 
and say, ^'I sat down under his shadow with 
great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my 
taste." 

This world seems to us a weary land ; but how 
must it appear to the eye of an omniscient being ? 
-- — to one who can view it all in a moment of 
time? Surely.it must appear one continued scene 
of misery and crime. 0, when shall the curse be 
removed, and Jehovah ^^ dwell in very deed with 
men on earth?" Then ''they shall hunger no 
more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the 
sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb 
which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, 
and shall lead them unto living fountains of water ; 
and God shall wipe away all tears from their 
eyes." May the Lord hasten it in his time ! In 
the mean while, let us go up to the goodly land, 
leaning on the Beloved. 



SEEING AFAR OFF. 145 



SEEING AFAR OFF. 

*« But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see 
afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old 
sins.'* — 2 Peter 1 : 9. 

The apostle addresses his epistle to those who 
have obtained like precious faith with himsaif, and 
exhorts them to add to their faith the seven graces 
that he mentions ; stating that, if they are desti- 
tute of these, they are blind, and unable to see 
afar off ; from whence it follows, that, if they pos- 
sess them, their condition will be the opposite. 
Let us consider what is meant by seeing afar off. 
We observe, 

In order to do this a person must have eyes. 
When Paul was converted and sent to the Gen- 
tiles, it was to open their blind eyes, to turn them 
from darkness to light, and from the power of 
Satan to God. — Acts 26: 18. The ''eyes,'' 
alluded to in this verse, he explains, in Ephes. 1 : 
18, as being the understanding. The Lord 
sometimes opens the understanding of men by 
afflictions, and sometimes ''by the foolishness of 
preaching ; ' ' but whatever may be the means em- 
ployed, the work itself is always that of the Holy 
Ghost. Thus David prays, "Open thou mine 
eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of 
thy iaw.'' 

When a sinner has his understandino; enlio-htened 
so that he sees his miserable condition by nature, 
his next step is to look afar off, and the first thing 
that greets the eye of his faith is Jesus at the 



146 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

right hand of God. Thus Paul says, we see not 
yet all things subject to Christ ; but ' ' we see 
Jesus, who was made a little lower than the 
angels for the suffering of death, crowned with 
glory and honor." — Heb. 2: 9. He then ex- 
horts the saints to run with patience the race set 
before them, ^'looking unto Jesus.'' — Heb. 12: 
1,2. . 

The next step to be taken by the enlightened 
mind is to look forward to the new earth — the 
saints' inheritance. Thus the saints of old ^'ali 
died in faith, not having received the promises," 
that is, the falfilment of them, ^'but having seen 
them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and 
embraced them, and confessed that they were 
strangers and pilgrims on the earth." — Heb. 11 : 
13. Likewise Isaiah savs to the rio;hteous man 
(chap. 83: 17), ''Thine eyes shall see the King 
in his beauty ; they shall behold the land that is 
very far off" What is the reason why we see so 
many of the Lord's children go mourning on ac- 
count of their unworthiness ? Is it not b-ecause 
they pore over their sinfulness and imperfection, 
instead of looking to Jesus ? What is the reason 
so many professors of religion are troubled about 
the things of the present evil world ? It is be- 
cause they are short-sighted ; the ''far-off land'^ 
is but dimly seen, if beheld at all ; they are 
blind. ^ 

Reader, how is it with you ? Are you blind ? 
If so, there is no time to lose. Awake ! the judg- 
ment hastens. Flee to Christ, the physician, and 
have your eyes anointed with eye-salve that you 



CONSOLATION FOR THE LONELY. 147 

may see. You may now have the blessing with- 
out money and without price ; but if you defer 
making the application, you may soon, with the 
rich man, be lifting up your eyes in hell, being in 
torment. Flee, lingerer, flee ! 



/C^ CONSOLATION FOR THE LONELY. 

The Christian in this world often feels ^^ lonely 
and weary, by sorrows oppressed," and needs the 
consolation which the gospel of Christ alone can 
afford. A firm belief and sense of God's omni- 
science contributes to his consolation while in this 
situation. It would be impossible for him to bear 
the trials of life without this source of comfort. 
JWhen a familiar friend lifts up his heel against 
him, and one in whom he had confidence casts 
him off, and attributes his deeds of kindness to 
wrong motives, to whom can he turn, and to 
whom can he flee, under such embarrassing cir- 
cumstances, but to the God of Israel ?-- It is then 
he is cheered by being able to look up through his 
tears, and say with Hagar in her solitude, '' Thou 
God seest me." — Gen. 16 : 13. While conscious 
of sincerity of heart, he can rest in the love of 
God. If he has the approbation of Jehovah, it is 
enough for him. Having that^ he can bear the 
frowns of the world. Knowing that Jesus was 
despised and forsaken by those who should have 
honored him, he is willing that the servant should 
not be above his Master in this respect. He feels 



148 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

that he is a stranger in this vale of tears, but 
looking for a city of habitation. Though a pil- 
grim now, yet he is '^a citizen of no mean city." 
'•For our citizenship [poUteiima] is in heaven, 
from whence also we look for the Saviour, the 
Lord Jesus Christ." — Philip. 3: 20. The be- 
liever is now in a state of orphanage. His 
Father is in heaven. — Matt. 6 : 9. The New 
Jerusalem, which is the mother of us all, is above. 
— Gral. 4 : 26. And if Jesus does not come again 
we must remain orphans forever. But he will 
return to us. He has promised to do it : '^ I will 
not leave you comfortless" [oQ(purovi, that is, or- 
pha?iSj as it reads in the margin], ^'I will come 
to you." — John 14 : 18. When he comes in his 
Father's glory, and the angels are sent forth to 
gather the elect, we shall be orphans no longer. 
Then we shall see our parents, and forever enjoy 
the society of Jesus, the elect angels and redeemed 
hosts. The Christian's loneliness will be felt no 
longer. But where will this sorrowless state be 
enjoyed ? 

*' There is a land where beauty cannot fade, 
Nor sorrow dim the eye ; 
Where true love shall not droop, nor be dismayed, 
And none shall ever die. 

Where is that land, where? 
For I would hasten there ; 
Tell me, — I fain would go, 
For I am weary with a heavy woe ! 
The beautiful have left me all alone ; 
The true, the tender, from my path have gone. 
0, guide me with thy hand, 
If thou dost know that land ! 



CONSOLATION FOR THE LONELY. 149 

For, when burdened with oppressive care, 
I am weak and fearful with despair ; 
Where is it? tell me where." 

The Scriptures enable us to give a direct answer 
to the inquiry of the poet. It will be on the '• new 
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." — Rev. 
21 : 1—5. 

Then let this old earth perish, and dissolve in raging fire ; 
We will look for its renewal, and ardently desire 
The dawn of that blest era, when earth shall bloom again, 
And God shall dwell " in very deed, on earth," with pious 

men. 
Then will the mother-city, the New Jerusalem, • 

Descend in all its splendor, as beauteous as a gem ; 
We shall enter through its gates of pearl, walk its golden 

street, 
And, under Life's fair tree, we can our friends and breth- 
ren greet ; 
There also will Life's river lave the base of '' the mount 

Zion," 
While on the mountain's top waves the flag of Judah's 

Lion. 
0''er the nations of the saved will this banner be unfurled, 
While Prince Immanuel smiles on a renovated world ; 
In his smile there is favor, even life for evermore, 
As sickness, pain and sorrow, never reach that heavenly 

shore. 
While in this pleasant city, the best of all will be, 
That we shall see our Saviour, who suffered on the tree ; 
But now the crown of piercing thorn is not upon his 

brow, — 
No more in solemn mockery do haughty scoffers bow. 
The crown of thorns, the purple roToe, and reed, are laid 

aside. 
Exchanged for universal power which ever shall abide. 
For, as the shadow of his cross has fallen on the land, 
So shall the glory of his throne break forth on every hand ; 

13)^ 



150 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

And all the saints shall take their crowns and cast them 

at his feet, 
And thus confess his precious blood for glory made them 

meet. 
A song of praise they all shall sing, while angels join the 

song. 
And while eternal ages glide they can the strain prolong. 
Their loneliness and weariness will be forever past. 
And on the renovated earth they find their home at last. 



THE CORONATION DAY. 

1. Princes do not reign without being crowned, 
— Man was originally a king. When he was 
created, he stood as the lord of creation, reigning 
under Jehovah. But the crown has fallen from 
his head, though he retains some marks of original 
greatness. Through the second Adam, all the 
sons of Grod will have a crown and a kingdom 
forthcoming at a time appointed. That time is 
not the day of death, but of life ; — it is not the 
season of dishonor, but of glory. As an earthly 
prince does not reign without a crown, neither can 
saints reign before the crowns of life, righteousness, 
and glory, are distributed. 

2. The saints will be crowned in the resur- 
rection morning^ at the second advent of our 
Lord. — This position is susceptible of the plainest 
proof. Listen to the language of Paul, when he 
was about to suffer martyrdom : '^ I am now ready 
to be offered, and the time of my departure is at 
hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished 



THE CORONATION DAY. J51 

my course, I have kept the faith : henceforth there 
is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which 
the Lord, the righteous judge ^ shall give me at 
that day '' [the day of judgment^ v. 1], '^ and not 
to me only, but unto all them also that lo\^e his ap- 
pearing." — 2 Tim. 4 : 6 — 8. Peter, in his exhor- 
tation to the elders of the church of Christ, expresses 
the same sentiment : '' And when the chief Shep- 
herd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory 
that fadeth not away." — 1 Peter 5 : 4. 

The coronation day will be the time of the 
church's triumph. Then will the kingdom be 
given to the saints of the Most High. Who would 
think that a season of unparalleled suffering, such 
as the church has endured, would have such a 
glorious issue ? The king's highway is regarded 
as beino; the smoothest and most ao;reeable road in 
the country. But the way to the kingdom of 
God is a rough and uneven way, and one beset 
with dangers. This may seem a strange road to a 
kingdom, but it is the only one. We must suffer 
with Christ in order to reign with him. It is 
through much tribulation that we must enter the 
promised land. 

What Christian does not love the appearing of 
the Son of man ? Ask an obedient child if she 
does not love her kind parents. Does not a weary 
man love rest ? Does not the tempest-tossed mari- 
ner long for the quiet haven ? Does not the suf- 
ferer sigh for relief? And should not such be the 
feelings of the people of God ? 

*' May not tlie exile, Lord, desire 
His native realm to see ? 



152 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

May not the captive ^ek release — 
The prisoner to be free ? 

" Children, when far away, may long 
For home and kindred dear, 
And she that loves her absent Lord 
Must grieve till he appear." 



A GIRDLE FOR THE MIND. 

A GIRDLE for the body is very commonly used 
in the East. '' The girdle is sometimes made of 
silver, or of gold, or embrgidered silk, or highly- 
dyed muslin. Its uses are to keep the lower gar- 
ments fast to the loins, to strengthen the body, and 
to command respect. Chiefs have numerous folds 
of muslin around that part, and they march along 
in great pomp, thus enlarged in their size/'^ 
^' When people take a journey they have always 
their loins well girded, as they believe they can 
walk much faster, and to a greater distance. Be- 
fore the palankeen bearers take up their load, they 
assist each other to make tight a part of the sali, 
or robe, around the loins. When men are about , 
to enter into an arduous undertaking, bystanders 
say, ^ Tie your loins well up.' " — Roberts^ in 
Bush's Scrip. Illust., pp. 494, 57. 

The Scriptures also mention a girdle for the 
mind: ''Wherefore, gird up the loins of your 
mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace 
that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of 
Jesus Christ." — 1 Peter 1:13. What can a 



A GIRDLE FOR THE MIND. 153 

girdle be made of that will be suited to the mind ? 
Paul answers this question in his description of 
the Christian's armor: "Stand, therefore, having 
your loins girt about with truth^ and having on 
the breastplate of righteousness." — Ephes. 6 : 14. 
Now, a girdle for the body is not a whit more 
necessary for the Oriental traveller, or laborer, 
than is the girdle of truth for the believer's mind. 
He who labors successfully in the vineyard of God, 
or travels without fainting in the narrow way, 
must have it. It is obvious, however, that, in 
course of time, if a person is not careful, the girdle 
will become loose around the loins and need tight- 
ening. So it is in the religious world. There are 
many to be found who possess the theory of truth, 
but who are not actively engaged in the cause of 
God. Once they were zealous and devoted, and 
all they had was apparently on the altar. They 
were regular in their attendance at meetings, and, 
when there, did not occupy the judge's seat, judg- 
ing and condemning others, but felt more like 
saying, ''Come, ye children, and I will tell you 
what the Lord hath done for my soul." But now 
their zeal has abated, and their love grown cold. 
Why is this ? Converse with them on the truths 
of the Gospel, and they appear to understand them, 
and are even willing to admit the evidence to be 
satisfactory that the Lord will soon come. Now, 
the trouble is this, the girdle has become loose. It 
needs to be buckled more closely around the mind. 
Let the truth be brought to bear on the heart, as 
it ought, and it will lead to renewed exertions in 
the great work of salvation. 



154 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

Dear reader, how is it with thee ? Remember, 
that to possess the girdle will not be sufficient ; 
you must use it. If it is loose around the loins 
of your mindj go to work and tighten it immediate- 
ly. " Tie your loins well up.'* Satan does not 
care how many errors you have attached to your 
girdle. There is such a thing as holding the truth 
in unrighteousness. You may hold some import- 
ant truths, and, at the same time, have so many 
errors associated with them, that they vitiate and 
destroy the power of the truth which you possess. 
It is so with the Church of Rome. Be careful, 
then, that you have the girdle of truth without a 
load of errors hanging to it. '* Let your loins be 
girded about, and your lights burning; and ye 
yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, 
when he will return from the wedding ; that when 
he Cometh and knocketh they may open unto him 
immediately. Blessed are those servants Avhom 
the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching." 



A BRAND PLUCKED OUT OF THE FIRE. 

How strange ! to compare a sinner, saved by 
grace, to a '' fire-brand plucked out of the burn- 
ing." — Zech. 3 : 2. Yet the comparison is a just 
one. Let a brand be permitted to remain in the 
fire, and it will soon be consumed ; pluck it thence, 
and afterwards restore it, and it will soon be ig- 
nited. So with man. By nature he is a child of 
wrath, by practice an enemy of God, and an heir 



TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU. 155 

of ^^ everlasting burnings." If permitted to go 
on in his wickedness his end will be destruction. 
But grace plucks him from thence, removes his 
guilt, breaks the dominion of sin, and constitutes 
him a servant of God. Yet grace does not entire- 
ly destroy nature in the believer, it only enables 
him to subdue it ; glory is required to finish what 
grace begins. Hence the importance of the ex- 
hortation, '' Shun every appearance of evil." Let 
us not go too near the fire, lest we be burned. He 
that dares walk on the borders of Satan's territory, 
and takes pleasure in so doing, need not expect to 
enjoy much of the sunshine and happiness of Im- 
manuel's land. 



TxVKE MY YOKE UPON YOU. 

What is the use of the yoke ? Do we not em- 
ploy it in uniting cattle, so that one ox may assist 
the other in labor, and thus by a union of strength 
have our work performed with greater ease and 
efficiency ? Mark, then, what we learn from this 
command of our Lord. 

1. Allioho believe in Christ are required to be 
laborers. — God has work for each one to perform. 
We are justified freely by his grace, through faith in 
his name, and by works our faith is made manifest. 
Behold in the thief on the cross a display of grace, 
and an example of working. Read Luke 23 : 39 — • 
43. Here we see grace in one hour changing a 
man from a scoffer to a saint, from being a child 



156 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

of Satan to a child of God, and from an heir of 
hell to an heir of the kingdom of heaven. As to 
his work, it was, 1st. Reproving sin ; 2d. Confess- 
ing his iniquity-; 8d. Making an acknowledgment 
of the innocencj and divinity of Christ ; and, 4th. 
Looking for the kingdom of Jesus, and praying for 
admission into it. Go thou and do likewise. 

2. We have not to labor alone. — As no man 
goeth a warfare at his own expense, so we are 
not required to overcome the world, the flesh, 
and the devil, in our own strength. We are 
'•laborers together with God." We have ever 
found the promise of Christ to be true which he 
made to his disciples. '' Go ye, therefore, and 
teach'' [or discipleize] ''all nations^ baptizing 
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost : teaching them to observe 
all things whatsoever I have commanded you.'' 
This is the work assigned to the ministers of God, 
and as long as they faithfully perform it, the Sa- 
viour has said, " Lo, I a^n with you ahvay, even 
unto the end of the world. Amen." — Matt. 28 : 
19, 20. This will be long enough. He is tvith 
us now by his blessed Spirit, and when the age 
ends we will 2:0 to be loith him in his everlastinoj 
kingdom. Faint not, therefore, weak believer, 
because of the work which you are required to 
perform ; you will be able to do it all with the 
assistance of Christ. You will find him to be a 
" true yoke-fellow. '^ 



god's MAJ^NER of TEACniNG. 157 



GOD'S MANNER OF TEACHING. 

** I taught Ephraini also to go, taking them by their arms." 
Hosea 11 : 3. 

What mother cannot understand this language? 
Do you not remember how you taught your 
child to walk? When his little limbs were 
scarcely able to support the Aveight of his body, 
you set him on the floor, and, '' taking him by the 
arms,'' sustained him, and taught him to go. 
Does not this illustrate God's manner of dealing 
with thee, believer? When thy sins were a 
burden to thee, he removed them. When thou 
wast afraid of hell, he opened heaven to thy view. 
When sorrowful, he comforted thee by his Spirit, 
through his promises. When aflilicted, he was a 
'^ very present help " to thee. When a duty pre- 
sented itself, and you felt too weak to perform it, 
he strengthened you. When friends all forsook 
you, 3^ou found in him '' a friend that sticketh closer 
than a brother." When your mind was filled with 
gloomy, desponding thoughts, so that it resembled 
the stormy lake of Genesareth, then you heard his 
voice saying, '' Peace, be still." When you felt 
disposed to seek Test and ease in the present world, 
he knew the danger, and said, '' Arise, depart, for 
this is not your rest, because it is polluted." 
When you were in darkness, not knowing what 
your duty was, then you heard behind you, in his 
word, a voice, saying, '• This is the way, walk ye 
in it." Thus God has taught thee to go. Surely 
never man taught like the man Christ Jesus. 
14 



158 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 



THOUGHTS ON THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM. 

That this psalm is one of great beauty and 
comfort will be more readily perceived when we 
consider the climate in which the writer lived, and 
the circumstances in which he was placed. It was 
written under the burning sun of Palestine, by one 
w^hose occupation was to follow ^Hhe ewes great 
with young," and several of the figures used in it 
are connected with a pastoral life ; hence we hear 
him exclaim, '^ The Lord is my shepherd, I shall 
not want." — Verse 1. Though the pasture might 
fail from the flock under his care, yet his con- 
fidence was unshaketi that the great Shepherd 
would provide for himself, and, in verse 2, he says, 
*'He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, 
and leadeth me beside the still waters." The 
beauty of these words is seen when we consider 
that in the land of Israel they have not frequent 
showers, as we have here. They have what is 
called '' the early and latter rain," so that in the 
wet season the water descends in torrents from 
the mountain's side ; but in a short time these 
streams become dry, and the shepherds have to 
remove from place to place, seeking green pastures 
for their flocks. But David, alluding to the 
Lord's mercy, says, that he led him '' beside the 
still waters; " that is, to a continual stream, and 
not to the mountain torrents. He continues, •' He 
restoreth my soul, he leadeth me in the paths of 
righteousness, for his name sake;" and confesses 
that if he should walk in ^^tlie valley of the 
shadow of death," or great and severe affliction, 



TWENTY-THIRD PSALM. 159 

yet he would not fear while God was with him to 
comfort him with his '^ staff and rod," thus allud- 
ing still to a shepherd's life ; and concludes by ex- 
claiming, '^Surely goodness and mercy shall follow 
me all the days*of my life, and I will dwell in the 
house of the Lord forever." 

If green pastures and flowing streams are so de- 
lightful in the present state of the earth, how 
much more so must they be in Eden restored, when 
we shall drink of the " pure river of the water of 
life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne 
of God and of the Lamb," even the '' living 
waters that go out from Jerusalem," — when the 
sheep of God's pasture ^* shall dwell in the wilder- 
ness and sleep in the woods ! " This is a glori- 
ous prospect; and by walking in the paths of 
righteousness, trusting only in Jesus as our great 
Shepherd, and receiving his good Spirit, we shall 
be prepared to partake of the everlasting ^' waters 
of quietness," which will be found in '' the land of 
uprightness." 

The Lord is my Shepherd, I never need fear, 
As he for my aid will surely appear ; 
He makes me lie down in green pastures of love, 
And blesseth my soul with his grace from above. 

He leadeth me onward, where still waters flow, 
And in paths of righteousness maketh me go ; 
E'en all for the sake of his only dear Son, 
The Father and Spirit ; for these three are one. 

And though I must pass through Death's dreary vale, 
No ill will I fear, for his word cannot fail ; 
His rod and his staff will encourage me there. 
So I '11 trust in my Shepherd, and never despair. 



k. 



160 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 



"THAT DAY" 

What day can it be that is noted in the Scrip- 
tures of the prophets, so illustrious in the songs 
of Zion, so interwoven with the pfayers of saints, 
so long looked for by the good, and so bright to 
the eye of hope, as to be referred to by the great 
apostle of the Gentiles three times in one short 
epistle (2 Tim. 1 : 12 ; 14 : 4, 8), and so well 
known to all Christians as to be immediately 
recognized, without being otherwise designated ? 
It is a day that comes apace. Noiselessly it may 
be, but surely and rapidly it approaches. 

1. It is '' the day of the Lord:' — 2 Peter 3 : 
10. Men have had their day of grace and of power, 
and have wasted it. They have judged, con- 
demned and executed the saints of the Most High, 
till the blood of many millions of martyrs cries 
aloud for vengeance. This cry has entered into the 
ears of the Lord of hosts, and he will avenge them 
speedily. Soon will the knell of six thousand 
years announce man's day ended, and the day of 
the Lord begun. ^'For, behold, the Lord cometh 
out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth 
for their iniquity : the earth also shall disclose 
her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." — 
Isa. 26 : 21. This will be ^' the day of judgment 
and perdition of ungodly men." 

2. It is '-'the day of redemption^ — Ephes. 
5 : 30. It being the Lord's day, it is also the 
day of the Lord's church. Adam in Eden sold 
away his possessions. But ^Hhe land shall not 
be sold forever." A redemption has been granted 
for the land, and a kinsman of ours has undertaken 



THAT DAY. l6l 

to redeem it. The second Adam, the Loiti from 
heaven, will do it. We have a good illustration of his 
work in the law of Leviticus 25 : 23 — 25. The 
lost inheritance will be restored. Jesus and his 
glorified saints shall inherit the renewed earth, 
their bodies being redeemed from death. — Hosea 
13 : 14. To believers is now given ^^ that Holy 
Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our in- 
heritance until the redemption of the purchased 
possession, unto the praise of his glory." — Ephes. 
1 : 13, 14. 

3. It is "-the jyerfect rfay."— Prov. 4: 18. 
The present state is one of imperfection; All 
Christians are one in Christ. They possess the 
same spirit, trust in the same Saviour, have the 
same Bible as their directory, fight against the 
same foes, and are bound for the same kingdom ; 
yet a diversity of opinion on minor points of doc- 
trine exists among them. Their oneness with 
Christ is not yet fully manifested. The watchmen 
will not ''see eye to eye" till the Lord bring 
again Zion, and then '' He shall appear in his 
glory."— Isaiah 52 : 8 ; Psalm 102 : 16. '' For 
now we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 
But when that which is perfect is come, then that 

which is in part shall be done away For 

now we see through a glass darkly ; but then face 
to face : now I know in part ; but then shall I 
know even as also I am known." — 1 Corinth. 13 : 
9—12. 

4. It is '' the day of Christ.''— Philip. 1 : 10. 
It is not the day of his humiliation and death, but 
of his exaltation and glory. At the first advent 

14* 



162 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

he was the ckild born, and the son given to the 
men of Judah; but at his second coming ^' the 
government shall be upon his shoulder," and '^ the 
Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his 
father David, and he shall reign over the house of 
Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be 
noend."— Isa. 9: 6, 7 ; Luke 1 : 80—38. His 
ascension to the throne will not be left to the vote 
of the world, for his enemies have said, '^ We will 
not have this man to reign over us." Neither will 
it be left to the choice of those who nominally are 
his people; for, concerning ''many" of them, he 
will have to say at last, "I know you not from 
whence ye are. Depart from me, all ye workers 
of iniquity."— Luke 18: 24—29; 19: 11—27. 
If the occupancy of the throne by the Lord's 
anointed w^as to be decided by the vote of the world 
or of the church (so called), we would despair of 
his enthronement. But " the zeal of the Lord of 
hosts will perform this." Jehovah will set his 
king upon his holy hill of Zion. He will "judge 
the quick and the dead at his appearing and his 
kingdom." It is written, "Abraham rejoiced to 
see my day [the day of Christ] ; and he saw it 
and was glad." — John 8 : 56. Surely it was not 
the time of Christ's humiliation and sorrow which 
made the aged patriarch rejoice, but rather the day 
of his exaltation. When he shall appear as a 
Conqueror, with his sword girt upon his thigh, 
and shall sway his sceptre over the nations of the 
redeemed on the new earth, then Abraham shall 
see in reality what he once saw by faith afar off, 
and which even then gladdened his heart. 



THAT DAY. 163 

5. It is the day of the King^s espousals. — 
Canticles 3 : 11. The church is the bride, the 
Lamb's wife. The day of her union with the 
Bridegroom is at hand. Now he is ^- taken away," 
and she fasts and looks sad. But soon he will re- 
turn, and then she shall rejoice, and her joy no 
man taketh from her. Now she appears as a 
beggar clothed in rags, but the king has set his 
affection upon her, and in robes of unfading beauty 
she shall soon be arrayed. Once she was crowned, 
but her crown lies in the dust, and none but the 
hand of the King- of kings can purify it, and place 
it upon her head; and he will do it ^'in the day 
of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of 
his heart." Now she is despised by the wicked, 
^^ smitten " by the ^' watchmen," and often goes to 
secret places to weep ; but by and by she will be 
honored by angels and glorified by God. So 
strong is her attachment to her absent Lord, that 
she calls this world a wilderness, herself a 
stranger, and the time of her sojourning here a 
night. She is waiting for the day to dawn and 
the day-star to arise in her heart. She has some- 
times been mistaken respecting the time of the 
return of the heavenly Bridegroom from the far 
country, whither he is gone, and therefore many 
have tauntingly said to her, ^^ Where is the prom- 
ise of his coming? " She has pointed them to the 
promise of Christ, of angels, and of inspired men ; 
and though she knows '^not when the time is," 
she is determined to wait and ^'look for him," 
that it may be granted unto her that she ^^ may 
find mercy of the Lord in that day." 



164 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 



FOLLOW ME. 

Jesus, in the tenth chapter of John's gospel, 
compares himself to a shepherd, and those who 
believe on him, to sheep. His words are, '^ My 
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they 
follow me : and I give unto them eternal life ; and 
they shall never perish, neither shall any man 
pluck them out of my hand." — vs. 27, 28. It is 
a comfort to the Christian to know that the good 
Shepherd does not drive his sheep where he would 
not go himself ; they are requu^ed io follow him. 
Are we required to keep the commandments of God? 
So Christ came down from heaven, not to do his 
own will, but the will of the Father who sent him. 
Are we poor, and in humble circumstances in life ? 
Our Leader was born* in a stable, and laid in a 
manger, because there was no room for him in the 
inn ; and when he arrived at manhood, he had not 
where to lay his head that he could call his own. 
Are we despised by our relatives because we have 
embraced religion ? So we read, concerning Jesus, 
that ^^ his brethren believed not on him ; " and no 
doubt they, at that time, despised him for his reli- 
gion. Are we forsaken by our friends ? There 
was a time when the disciples forsook Jesus. Are 
we passing through the furnace of affliction, and 
enduring great bodily pain ? Think of the garden 
of Gethsemane, and of the circumstances connected 
with the death of Jesus, — did he not suffer ? Are 
we not only despised and forsaken, but also called 
to die for the sake of truth ? Christ died and was 
buried, and has thus removed the gloom in a measure 



GROWTH IN GRACE. 1G5 

from the narrow house. Being thus required, in 
the path of duty, to follow Jesus through poverty, 
shame, suffering, death and the grave, we shall 
follow him to riches, ease, honor and life in the 
kingdom of God. If we follow him to the cross, 
Tve shall go with him to the crown. ^' If we suffer 
with him, we shall also be glorified together." 



GROWTH IN GRACE. 

To ^^grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our 
Lord Jesus Christ," is the duty of all Christians. 
The apostle Peter (2 Epistle, 1st chap.) shows 
plainly the way in which we are to grow up into 
Christ, our living head, in all things. He declares 
faitJt to be the starting point, and exhorts believers 
to add to their faith the graces which he specifies ; 
and by so doing they will be qualified to serve 
God acceptably now, and prepared to have an abun- 
dant entrance ministered unto them into the ever- 
lasting kingdom of God, when it shall be estab- 
lished. As illustrations of this growth in grace 
we may take, 

1. A child. We look at a babe on its mother's 
knee ; at first he is very feeble, and is fed with 
milk ; as his strength increases, they give him 
food ; his mind expands ; he continues to grovf in 
strength and in stature, and, after many years have 
passed away, he appears before us a man. Thus, 
in some respects, it should be w^ith the believer. 



166 1 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

'^ As new-born babes ^ desire the sincere '' [that is 
pure, or unmixed] ^^ milk of the word^ that ye 
may grow thereby." — 1 Peter 2:2. It is said 
to be a tradition among the Jews, that the manna 
which fell in the wilderness was suited to every 
taste : it was like milk to babes, and as strong 
meat to those of riper years. Whether the tradi- 
tion is true or not, it is indeed a good illustration 
of what the Scriptures are to the Christian. By 
reading and meditation on them, his faith is in- 
creased. The promises cheer him in dark and trying 
hours, and he lives, not by bread alone, but by every 
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

2. A tree. It is said of the righteous man, 
^^ He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of 
water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season ; 
his leaf also shall not wither ; and whatsoever he 
doeth shall prosper."— Psalm 1 : 3. A tree grows 
downward ; it strikes its roots deep and wide into 
the rich soil on which it stands, and by so doing 
is prepared to stand against wind and storm. It 
grows upward also. At first the stock is small, 
but year after year increases its size. In the spring 
it buds and puts forth leaves; its boughs are 
spread abroad, and after many years it becomes a 
great tree, so that the fowls of the air come and 
lodge in the branches thereof, and the beasts of 
the field find shelter beneath it. 

A Christian should resemble a tree by growing 
downwards in humility. He should be '' rooted 
in Christ," who is meek and lowly in heart, and 
the more he has of the spirit of Christ, the greater 
unworthiness he will feel. The more closely he 



GROWTH IN GRACE. 167 

examines himself in the mirror of God's word, the 
more he will feel like saying, 

" I the chief of sinners am, 
But Jesus died for me." 

He should grow upwards in heavenly-minded- 
iiess^ having his affections placed on things above, 
and not on things on the earth ; and when Christ 
who is his life shall appear, then shall he also ap- 
pear with him in glory, — then will he be trans- 
planted into the new earth, to bloom and thrive 
forever in the presence of the Husbandman, where 
no chilling winds shall blow, nor desolating storms 
be felt. No mighty hurricanes will uproot the 
trees of the new earth, nor lightnings rend them. 
No serpent's trail will be seen among the flowers 
of the paradise, nor poison be found concealed 
among its fruits. No tempter's hand will be of- 
fered to lead men into sin, nor lion be heard roar- 
in o; acrainst the saints of the Most Hio;h. Death 
on the pale horse will not be seen riding over these 
beautiful plains, and mowing down his thousands ; 
neither will the grave appear ready to receive his 
victims as they fall. The former things have 
passed away. A day has dawned for the saints 
that will never terminate. The spring-time of the 
world has come with its flowers and its songs. The 
millennium has come, for the Lord of the millen- 
nium is here. How precious the thought that the 
Lord will give grace and glory ! 

Without Christ is the natural state ; 
Sinners in this condition wait. 
In Christ is the state of grace ; 



168 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

And this is every Christian's place. 
And with Christ all the saints will be. 
When they his heavenly kingdom see. 



ON DOING JUSTLY. 

Some people have very erroneous views respect- 
ing doing justly, and the way to obtain salvation. 
They admit there is a future state of happiness, 
and think that, by giving just weight, and measure, 
and prices, in their dealings with their fellow-men, 
and by living a sober, moral life, God will surely 
save them. They will even quote such a text as 
the following to justify them in their opinion : — 
'• He hath showed thee, man, what is good ; and 
what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do 
justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly 
with thy God? " — Micah 6 : 8. Now, we fear- 
lessly affirm that those who trust in their good 
deeds for salvation are not acqiiainted with the 
first principles of justice and equity. 

To be just before God we must not only be just 
with our neighbors and with ourselves, but also 
with God, He is our Creator and Preserver, and 
as such has a right to demand what he pleases. 
And what does he require us to do ? He says to 
every one, -' Son (or daughter), give me thine 
heart." — Prov. 23 : 26. How, then, can we be 
just before him while we set our hearts on the 
things of earth ? Nor is the heart all he requires. 
He demanded of the Israelites a tenth part of their 
produce for the support of the children of Levi, 



ON DOING JUSTLY. 169 

for their ^^ service which they served in the tab- 
ernacle of the congregation." — Num. 18: 21. 
And when this was withheld, he accused the nation 
of robbi7i(/ him, "Will a man rob God? Yet 
ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we 
robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are 
cursed with a curse ; for ye have robbed me, even 
this whole nation." — Mai. 3: 8 — 10. He also 
required one day in seven to be a day of rest and 
of worship; and several other days in each year 
Avcre to be holy to the Lord. 

Let us now bring this subject home to ourselves. 
In the gospel dispensation there is no particular 
portion of each man's property (according to the 
laws of the New Testament) to be devoted exclu- 
sively to the support of the cause of God ; yet he 
manifests most of the spirit of Christianity who 
gives the most, sacrifices the most, and suffers the 
most, to relieve the distressed, and to publish the 
glad tidings of the kingdom of God. There are 
those who can see the poor suffer, and some of the 
ministers of Jesus in straitened circumstances, while 
they have their thousands in the bank and else- 
where, and yet will not put forth a helping hand. 
I wonder how such men can sleep while the words 
of Christ are ringing in their ears, '^ Lay not up 
for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where 
moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves 
break through and steal ; but lay up for your- 
selves treasures in heaven." How can such ones 
think that they are just with God ? And yet some 
of them call themselves Christians, and profess to 
believe that Jesus will soon be revealed from 
15 



170 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

heaven as the Judge of all ! May Heaven pardon 
their audacity ! 

Let us suppose a man has a family, consisting 
of several sons and daughters. These children are 
very kind to each other. If one is sick, the others 
do what they can to mitigate his sufferings ; or, if 
he is poor, they aid him according to their ability. 
But while they thus deal kindly with each other, 
they treat their aged parent with disrespect ; they 
neglect his requests ; and when he writes them a 
letter, some of them will read it, if they think 
they have time, and take a notion to do so, while 
others reject it entirely. Now what can we think 
of such a family ? There are some things in their 
conduct that we can praise, but their treatment of 
their father is very reprehensible. So it is with 
the human family. As far as our creation is con- 
cerned, "Have we not all one Father?'' But 
how do we treat him ? Some treat him with the 
greatest disrespect. His kind letter — the Bible 
— is seldom read, and his record concerning his 
son Jesus is disbelieved, and thus they '^make him 
a liar.^'' — John 5 : 9, 10. He says, " Give me 
thy heart;'' but they will not do it. Such men 
may be just with each other, but who dare say 
they are just before God ? 



THE CLEANSING BLOOD. 

" When I see the blood, I will pass over you." — Ex. 12 : 13. 

Blood is the sim of life taken. It is alto2:ether 
likely that it was first shed in the garden of Eden. 



THE CLEANSING BLOOD. 171 

It was there the first sin was committed, and there, 
too, I suppose, the first sin-ofiering was presented 
to God. Jehovah had declared death to be the 
penalty of his broken law. ^'The soul that sin- 
neth it shall die.'' Man, having become a trans- 
gressor, has either to suffer himself to the full 
extent of the penalty, or to find a substitute. We 
are saved by substitution. Christ has undertaken 
our case. He was made ^' sin for us, who knew no 
sin ; that we might be made the righteousness of 
God in him." — 2 Cor. 5 : 21. He ^'bore our sins 
in his own body on the tree." ^* He was wounded 
for our transgressions ; he was bruised for our 
iniquities." He who thus suffered for us is '^ Je- 
hovah our righteousness." — Jer. 23: 6. But 
the woman's seed, whose heel was to be bruised, 
was not to be born into the world immediately 
after Adam's fall. Ages were to roll away first ; 
he was to appear in the fulness of time. 

Now we understand that it was the design of 
God that, during the many centuries between the 
transgression of Adam the first, and the expiatory 
sacrifice of Adam the second, much blood was to 
be shed. I have already stated that, I think, the 
first blood was poured forth before our first parents 
bade adieu to the bowers of Eden. My reason for 
thinking so is this : in Genesis 3 : 21, we read, 
" "^nto Adam, also, and to his wife, did the Lord 
God make coats of skins ^ and clothed them.'*' As 
animals were comparatively few at this time, and 
as God is a being of infinite power and goodness, 
we can hardly suppose that beasts were slain 
merely for the sake of getting clothing for our 



172 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

progenitor. Again : According to the law of 
Moses, the priest that offered any man's offering 
was to have '-for himself the skin of the burnt- 
offering'' which he had offered. See Leviticus 7 : 
8. We do not regard the offering of sacrifice as a 
human invention. God undoubtedly commanded 
men to kill and offer sacrifices, though we have no 
account of such a command being given till some 
time after the fall. Because of these considera- 
tions, I am led to suppose that the bodies of those 
beasts, with the skins of which OLir first parents 
were clothed, were offered in sacrifice, and that in 
the lovely garden where Adam sinned, there he 
also sacrificed by divine direction. 

Behold, then, a river of blood ! It rises in the 
place of man's guilt, and flows onward through 
successive ages, growing wider and deeper as it 
rolls along, till it reaches Calvary, where it sud- 
denly disappears. But why should it disappear 
there ? Because a victim hangs upon the cross, 
who is called the Lamb of God. From his wounded 
head, hands, side and feet, blood more efficacious 
flows than ever came from the bodies of bulls and 
of goats. His blood alone can cleanse from sin. 
— 1 John 1:7. The blood of animals previously 
shed was only pleasing and acceptable to God as 
it shadowed forth the perfect sacrifice for sin that 
was made by Jesus Christ. His death opened a 
fountain to which all may come, wash and be clean. 

The beautiful words at the head of this article 
suggest to the mind a very important truth. The 
text refers to the memorable night when the 
Israelites were delivered from their bondage in 



THE CLEANSING BLOOD. 173 

Egypt. The destroying angel goes forth ^^ to 
smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both 
man and beast." On the houses of the obedient 
Israelites the blood of the slain lambs is seen ; the 
angel sees the blood, and passes over. Observe, 
nothing but the blood sprinkled on the door-posts 
and on the lintels of the doors, could secure those 
residing in the houses from the judgment of the 
angel of God. So now, nothing but the blood of 
the Lamb of God, applied by faith to the heart and 
conscience, can bring us the pardon of sin and the 
favor of the Almighty. An inspired apostle affirms 
that ^^ loithout shedding of blood is NO remis' 
5/o.u." — Heb. 9: 22. 

sinner ! remember that a night more awful 
than . that which settled on the land of Egypt is 
soon to gather over all the earth. A time is 
coming when not only the first-born of the families 
of the wicked in a certain land will be slain, 
but ^^ the slain of the Lord shall be at that day 
from one end of the earth even unto the other end 
of the earth ; they shall not be lamented, neither 
gathered, nor buried ; they shall be dung upon the 
ground." Read Jeremiah, 25th chap. Who can 
stand in that day ? Those, and only those, on 
whom the blood of Christ is seen. Then flee to 
the fountain immediately. Remember that an 
amiable disposition, kind acts and honest dealing 
with your fellow-men, will not be enough to save 
you. Do not be satisfied with anything short of 
resting the whole weight of your salvation on the 
merits of Christ. Jesus shed his blood for thee. 
Trust in him. Take God at his word ; he has 
15=^ 



174 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

said, ^^ And when I see the blood I will pass over 
you.'' This promise is as applicable in your case 
as in that of the Israelites anciently. They had 
only the blood of a lamb of their own choosing to 
secure them against the impending judgment ; but 
you have the blood of the Lamb of God's selection 
to shield you. Depend upon it, when the Lord 
sees the blood of his dear Son by faith applied to 
your soul, he will pass over, and leave you un- 
harmed. 

*' There is a fountain filled with blood, 
Drawn from Immanuel's veins ; 
And sinners plunged beneath that flood 
Lose all their guilty stains." 



OUR ALTAR AND ITS SACRIFICES. 

The Church of God, in the instruction which 
she receives from the Lord, may be compared to a 
child in three stages of his education. The child 
first learns his letters ; next, he puts those letters 
into words ; and then he finds out w^hat those 
words mean. The church in the Jewish age may 
be compared to the child learning the alphabet ; 
the church in the gospel dispensation to the child 
putting his letters into words, and learning to pro- 
nounce them ; and the church in the ages to come 
will be like the scholar finding out the signification 
of the words ; for it is only in the eternal state 
that we shall be able to comprehend the depth 
and fulness that there are in the promises of our 



OUR ALTAR AND ITS SACRIFICES. 175 

divine Teacher. The church, therefore, in her 
education is progressive. The Mosaic economy 
has passed away, but something more substantial 
and blessed remains. For the . law had a shadow 
of good things to come, but the body or substance 
is of Christ. 

Though the Jewish altars have fallen, and the 
burnt-offerings are no longer seen smoking upon 
them, we are not, on that account, to conclude 
that there are no altar and sacrifices belonging to 
this dispensation. ' ' We have an altar whereof 
they have no right to eat who serve the taber- 
nacle." — Heb. 13 : 10. Our altar is Christ Jesus. 
The law concerning the altar of Israel reads, 
^^ Thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast 
made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it 
to sanctify it. Seven days shalt thou make an 
atonement for the altar, and sanctify it ; and it 
shall be an altar most holy ; whatsoever toucheth 
the altar shall be holy." — Ex. 29 : 36, 3T. Our 
altar was '-anointed with the Holy Ghost and 
w^ith power" (Acts 10 : 38), and was sanctified 
(John 17: 19), and thereby prepared to receive 
the sacrifices of all true worshippers. 

But what are the sacrifices which are required 
of us now ? '^ The sacrifices of God are a broken 
spirit ; a broken and a contrite heart, God, 
thou wilt not despise." — Psalm 51 : 17 ; Isa. 57 : 
15. '' I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the 
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a 
living sacrifice " [not a dead one, such as was laid 
on the Jewish altar], but one ''holy, acceptable 
unto God, which is your reasonable service." — 



176 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

Rom. 12 : 1. ^^ Let us offer the sacrifice o^pi^aise 
to God continually ; that is, the fruit of our lips 
giving thanks to his name. But to do good and 
to communicate [or, to give alms], forget not; for 
with such sacrifices God is well pleased.'* — Heb. 
13 : 15, 16. Paul, when speaking of the donation 
which he received from the church in Philippi, 
says : '^ I have received all, and abound ; I am 
full, having received of Epaphroditus the things 
which Avere sent from you, an odor of a sweet 
smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.'V 
Philip. 4 : 14—19. These texts are sufiicient to 
show us the nature of the sacrifices which every 
believer is now called to present to God. 

But it may be said that all the sacrifices which 
we have to offer are in themselves imperfect. Our 
love sometimes grows cold ; praise falters on our 
tongue ; our good deeds will not bear the scruti- 
nizing gaze of the holy Being with whom we have 
to do : and will God accept such worthless sacri- 
fices as these ? He will, if they come from the 
heart as 2. free-will offering, and are laid upon the 
proper altar ; but they will not be accepted as a 
sin-offering. The law said, '^ Either a bullock or 
a lamb that hath anything superfluous or lacking 
in his parts, that mayest thou offer as a freewill 
offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.'' 
Lev. 22 : 23. But blessed be God ! for he hath 
himself chosen a perfect sin-offering for us ; ^^ We 
are not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver 
or gold, from our vain conduct, but with the 
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without 
blemish and without spot." When Jesus died ou 



THE CHARIOTS OF GOD. 177 

the tree, a sin-offering was presented to the Father 
in our behalf, and now the other sacrifices ah-eady 
named we present as free-will oflerings on the 
resurrected Christ as our altar. They are imper- 
fect to be sure, but whatsoever toucheth this altar 
is most holy. '^The altar sanctifieth the gift." 
Therefore ''offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay 
thy vows to the Most High." 



THE CHARIOTS OF GOD, 

There is but little said in the Bible, in a direct 
way, concerning '-the elect angels," the devil and 
his angels. What we know respecting them is 
told us in those passages in which they are repre- 
sented as being more or less associated with man- 
kind. From what little is revealed on this subject, 
we learn that the holy angels are numerous, pow- 
erful, and in some measure concerned in the wel- 
flire of the human family. -^ Are they not all 
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them 
who shall be heirs of salvation ? " — Heb, 1 : 14. 
Observe, 

1. The chariots of Jehovah are mtiltitudinous. 
— ''The chariots of God are twenty thousand, 
even thousands of angels ; the Lord is among 
them, as in Sinai, in the holy place." — Psa. 68 : 
17. Here the chariots are said to represent 
'- many thousands of angels,"^- but how many we 

* Marginal reading. 



178 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

are not informed. Jesus said to Peter, in the gar- 
den of Gethsemane. '' Thinkest thou that I cannot 
now pray to my Father, and he shall presently 
give me more than twelve legions of angels?'' 
The Roman legion consisted of different numbers 
of men at different periods, from three to five 
thousand. If we take the lowest number named ^ 
then there are more than thirty-six thousand, and 
if the highest, more than sixty thousand angels, 
according to this text. Either of these would be 
a great number of heavenly messengers ; but John 
speaks of seeing a still greater number : '' I beheld, 
and I heard the voice of many angels round about 
the throne, and the living creatures [^'^w^'J, and 
the elders ; and the number of them was ten thou- 
sand times ten thousand, and thousands of thou- 
sands."' — Rev. 5: 11. But Paul sums up the 
matter, by calling them an innumerable multi- 
tude : ^'But ye are come unto mount Sion, and 
unto the city of the living God, the heavenly 
Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of 
angels."— Heb. 12: 22. 

2. The chariots of God have heeffi em- 
ployed in ages gone by. — The Lord sent 
one of them to convey Elijah to the realms 
of glory. And it came to pass, as Elijah and 
Elisha '''went on and talked, that, behold, there 
appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, 
and parted them both asunder : and Elijah went 
up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw 
it, and he cried. My father, my father, the chariot 
of Israel, and the horsemen thereof ! " — 2 Kings 
2: 11, 12. The chariots were seen at another 



THE CHARIOTS OF GOD. 179 

time around Elisha. Elisha was in Dotlian. The 
king of Syria sent a host to encompass the city, 
with horses and chariots to take him. The servant 
of the prophet beheld them with dismay, and cried 
out,' '' Alas, my master ! How shall we do ? And 
he answered, Fear not ; for they that be with us 
are more than they that be with them. And Eli- 
sha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his 
eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the 
eyes of the young man ; and he saw ; and, behold, 
the mountain was full of horses and chariots of 
fire round about Elisha.'' — 2 Kings 6 : 15 — 17. 
The psalmist declares that " the angel of the Lord 
encampeth round about them that fear him, and 
delivereth them.'' — Psa. 84 : 7. The horses and 
chariots of fire on the mountain indicated the 
presence of superhuman messengers, to protect 
the man of God against the rage of the Syrian 
king. 

But time would fail me to tell of the many 
occasions on which angels have been seen by men, 
as mentioned in Scripture. The reader of the 
Bible can easily bring to mind many such ap- 
pearances. God hath in these last days spoken 
unto us by his Son, and through human messen- 
gers, while angels' visits are ''few and far be- 
tween;" yet we are not to suppose that those 
holy, created intelligences, who formerly visited 
our earth, are indifferent as to our welfare. 
Though unseen they sympathize with us. Our 
Saviour teaches that ''there is joy in the pres- 
ence of the angels of God over one sinner that 
repcnteth." — Luke 15 : 7 — 10. Again, our Lord 



180 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

said, ^^ Take heed that ye despise not one of these 
little ones ; for I say unto you. That in heaven 
their angels'^'' [that is, the angels belonging to 
those little ones who believe in Christ] ^' do always 
behold the face of my Father w^ho is in heaven.'' 
— Matt. 18 : 10. How careful then ought we to 
be not to despise those who are the disciples of 
Jesus ! They may be poor as Lazarus at the rich 
man's gate, yet their angels are so holy, great 
and glorious, that they are always permitted to 
behold the face of Jehovah. They may seem 
mean and despicable to us, yet they are precious 
in the sight of God. This truth should be a check 
on us when we are tempted to speak lightly of 
those who give evidence of Christianity. 

3. The chariots of God will be seen at 
the second advent, — This is a subject of 
prophecy. Isaiah announces that '' the Lord 
will come with fire, and with his chariots like 
a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and 
his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire 
and by his sword will the Lord plead w^ith all 
flesh : and the slain of the Lord shall be many." 
— Isa. 66: 14 — 16. The New Testament teaches 
the same sentiment : ''And to you who are troubled, 
rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed 
from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming 
fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, 
and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus 
Christ."— 2 Thess. 1: 7—10. Isaiah declares 
that the Lord will come with fire, and with his 
chariots like a whirlwind ; — Paul teaches that he 
will come with fire, and with his mighty angels. 



THE CHARIOTS OF GOD. 181 

The ^-angels" of the apostle are the same as the 
^'chariots'' of the prophet. 

The Saviour also taught that, when he shall 
come in his glory, "all the holy angels'' will 
come with him. — Matt. 25 : 31. The object of 
their coming will be to gather the saints and to 
bring judgments on the world. '^And he shall 
send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, 
and they shall gather together his elect from the 
four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." 
— Matt. 24: 31. The elect will constitute a 
" great multitude that no man can number ; " but 
the angels who gather them are also ' ' an innu- 
merable company." When one angel appeared 
at the sepulchre, on the morning of Christ's resur- 
rection, "his countenance was like lio-htnino- and 
his raiment white as snow, and for fear of him the 
keepers did shake and became as dead men." But 
how indescribably glorious must be that time when 
Jesus will come in his own glory, and in the 
Father's, attended by all the angelic hosts ! The 
chariots of God will make a grand display as they 
come down the highway of heaven. Who can 
think of that day without emotions of wonder and 
of awe ? The angels will visit every church-yard, 
and nook, and corner of the globe where a child 
of God can be found. As the graves open, and the 
saints come forth immortalized, "their angels" 
will be by their side to convey them to heaven, as 
they did Elijah of old. When the Lord himself 
shall descend from heaven, and shall cause his 
glorious voice to be heard in the deepest graves, 
then the dead in Christ shall rise, and we who are 
16 



182 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

alive and remain upon the earth, shall be caught 
up (by the angels) with the resurrected dead, to 
meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be 
with the Lord. Amen. 



THE FINAL SEPARATION. 

The Scriptures divide the human family into 
two classes, having different names, character and 
destiny. This world seems to be a middle place 
between heaven and hell, and daily supplies both. 
The present state is one of mixture.' But a day 
of separation is rapidly approaching. The tares 
and w^heat now grow together in the same field ; 
the wheat and chaff lie in the same heap : the good 
and bad fishes are enclosed in the same net ; the 
sheep and goats feed in the same pasture ; the 
wise and foolish virgins go to the same wedding ; 
the righteous and wicked live on the same terri- 
tory ; in short, there is the coexistence of Chris- 
tianity and anti-christianity, and this mixed state 
of things will continue till the revelation of the 
Son of man from heaven. 

Then comes a separation — grand, awful and 
eternal ! The wheat shall be gathered into the 
barn, but the tares shall be gathered into bundles 
to burn them (Matt. 13 : 24—30, 36—43) ; the 
grain shall be stored in the garner of God, but 
the chaff shall be burned with unquenchable fire 
(Matt. 3 : 12) ; the good fishes shall be gathered 
into vessels, but the bad shall be cast away (Matt. 



THE FI^S^AL SEPARATION. 183 

13 : 47 — 50) ; the sheep shall be placed on the 
right hand of the Judge, and the goats on his left 
(Matt. 25 : 31 — 46) ; the wise virgins shall go in 
with the Bridegroom to the marriage, the door 
shall be shut, and the foolish excluded (Matt. 25 : 
1 — 13) ; or, in other words, it shall be said to the 
righteous, ^' Come, ye blessed of my Father, in- 
herit the kingdom prepared for you from the 
foundation of the world;" but to the wicked, 
^^ Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, pre- 
pared for the devil and his angels." And these 
shall go away into eternal punishment, but the 
righteous into eternal life. Such is the doctrine 
of the Bible as to the destiny of the human fam- 
ily. Come, then, my soul, lay aside the busy 
cares of the world for a season, and think seriously 
of the final separation, which may come to-day, but^ 
will come soon. 

What say the Scriptures as to the condition of 
the world when that day shall dawn in all its ter- 
rific splendor ? ^' As it was in the days of Noe, 
so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 
They did eat, they drank, they married wives, 
they were given in marriage, until the day that 
Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came and 
destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in 

the days of Lot even thus shall it be in 

the day when the Son of man is revealed." — 
Matt. 24 : 36—39 ; Luke 17 : 26—30. There 
will be scoffers tauntingly inquiring, "Where is 
the promise of his coming ? " The cry of " peace 
and safety" shall be heard in the land, and the 
multitude will apprehend no danger. God's elect 



184 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

will cry dnj and night unto liim for salvation and 
deliverance, and he will avenge them speedily. 
"Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, 
shall he find this belief in the land ? *' 

" In that night there shall be two in one bed ; 
the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two 
shall be in the field ; one shall be taken, and the 
other left/' It is night in one hemisphere, and 
two are in the bed ; it is day in the other ; hence 
two are in the field, and two in the mill ; but the 
effect is the same in each case — the separation 
comes. Perhaps a pious husband and an unbeliev- 
ing wife have gone to bed that night as usual; 
their slumbers are interrupted by the voice of the 
archangel and the trump of God; the husband 
rises to meet his Lord in the air, and his compan- 
ion is left ! Or perhaps it is day, and a godless 
mother stands with her infant in her arms ; in a 
■ moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the child is 
changed and caught up, being saved through the 
righteousness of the second Adam, and the mother 
is left ! Thus it will be over all the earth. Hus- 
bands and wives, parents and children, brothers 
and sisters, neighbors and friends, must part to 
meet no more, — one company going to meet the 
Saviour whom they loved, and in whom they 
trusted, while the other are left. Left for 
what ? — till the next car shall start for glory ? 
No, no ; the chariots of God have all gone ; they 
are left to perish, — left to sink in the dark waters 
of despair, — left to take up the doleful lamenta- 
tion, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, 
and we are not saved.'' 



FIRST AND LAST OF EARTHLY KINGDOMS. 185 

^^ Not saved! '^ 0, how those words will ring 
through the vault of heaven in that clay when 
Jesus shall rise up and close the door of mercy ; 
— when the gentle, dove-like Spirit of God, which 
has so long sought for admittance to the sinner's 
heart, thall take its everlasting departure; — Avhen 
the watchmen shall all retire from the walls of 
Zion, and with their flocks be secure in the para- 
dise of God: — when the glad tidings of salvation 
shall no longer fall on the ears of the impenitent ; 
and when prayers and preaching and all the ordi- 
nances of God's house, which were intended to draw 
sinners to the Saviour, shall be gone forever ! 
^* Too late! too late ! " will be the cry extorted 
from many a breaking heart then, that is bound- 
ing now. '' 0, that they were wise, that they 
understood this, that they would consider their 
latter end!'' 



THE FIRST AND THE LAST OF EARTHLY KINGDOMS. 

I HAVE frequently thought of the manner in 
which the first universal kingdom passed away. It 
was on a night of festivity. The last rays of the 
setting sun had fallen on the land of Chaldea, and, 
as the shadows of evening gathered around the 
palace of the king of Babylon, many joyous hearts 
were assembled there, to participate in the expected 
pleasures of the royal banquet. As the night ad- 
vanced their mirth increased. The sounds of 
16^ 



186 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

music were heard in the stately hall. The thought 
that the city might be taken by the Modes and 
Persians was driven from their minds. If such an 
idea ever came before them, it was regarded as an 
intruder, and speedily banished. The vessels which 
had been taken from the temple of Grod, ii^ Jeru- 
salem, were brought forth by the king's order. 
Wine was poured into them, and men and women 
drank from these golden goblets, and '' praised the 
gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of 
wood and of stone," and all was hilarity. 

But in the same hour a change came over this 
vast assembly. The sounds of music are hushed. 
The cups are forsaken. The king trembles, and 
his knees smite one against another. His thousand 
lords are astonished, and an awful, death-like 
silence prevails ! But why this sudden change ? 
The story is soon told : — a hand is seen writing in 
unknown characters on the plaster of the wall of 
the king's palace. All eyes turn in that direction. 
The wise men of Babylon fail to make known the 
import of these mysterious words. Daniel, the 
man beloved of his God, who was probably forgot- 
ten amid the festivity of the evening, is now re- 
membered. He is called into the king's presence, 
and, after reproving the monarch for his iniquity, 
he reads Belshazzar's doom, as it has been recorded 
on the wall by the command of Israel's God. In 
^'that night was Belshazzar, king of the Chal- 
deans, slain, and Darius the Median took the king- 
dom." Thus passed away the first universal empire, 
which was symbolized by the head of gold in the 
metallic image. ^'Babylon, the glory of king- 



FIRST AND LAST OF EARTHLY KINGDOMS. 187 

doms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency/' in 
that night changed masters, and has since then 
become a heap of ruins, but remains a faithful wit- 
ness of the truthfulness of Jehovah's word. 

Such is an event of the past. Let us now turn 
to the future, and inquire, How^ w^ill the last of 
earthly empires pass away ? The doom of Rome 
is written in letters of fire : — "I beheld till the 
[fourth] beast was slain," says the prophet, '-and his 
body destroyed and given to the burning flame." — 
Dan. 7: 9—11. The '-dreadful and terrible" 
beast is not tamed^ and made to quietly and wil- 
lingly submit to the government of God. It remains 
the same beast, in some way making war with the 
saints and prevailing against them, until destroyed 
by the brightness of Christ's coming. — Daniel 7 : 
21, 22 ; 2 Thess. 2 : 8. We are not therefore to 
expect that the world will be converted by the 
preaching of the gospel, and that the church will 
embrace all nations, and enjoy millennial peace 
and blessedness, before the Son of man appears as 
the Anointed of God in his kingdom. 

When Babylon the Great comes to its end, it 
will doubtless be amid scenes of festivity and pleas- 
ure, as in the case of ancient Babylon. In that 
day there will likely be many halls of mirth 
crowded with the thoughtless throng. Perhaps 
some sinner, who is almost persuaded to be a Chris- 
tian, will go there, resolving in his heart that it 
will be the last time before he gives his heart to 
God. But, alas ! it is too late ; his doom is sealed. 
Or, it may be, some backslider has determined to 
be numbered with the votaries of pleasure but 



188 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

once more, and then he will return to Father's 
house : but while he is mingled with the giddy 
youth, and conscience is drowned for a season in 
the gulf of pleasure, the hall is lighted with more 
than earthly splendor ; the sign of the Son of 
man is seen in heaven, and the angels go forth to 
gather the elect ! What a change must take place 
among the worshippers at pleasure's shrine ! They 
go forth to mingle with the angry nations. The 
mystic stone smites the image on its feet, and the 
governments of earth pass away. Great Babylon 
comes into remembrance before God, to give unto 
her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his 
wrath, while loud voices in heaven announce that 
'Hhe kingdoms of this world have become the 
kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and He 
shall reign forever and ever." Amen. 



THE ATTITUDE OF THE CHURCH. 

The sun has arisen on the land of Judea, and 
the mountains and hills of Palestine are bathed 
in a flood of light, as the risen Jesus and his de- 
voted followers are seen wending their way towards 
Mount Olivet. While noise and confusion reign 
in Jerusalem, peace and gratitude pervade the 
hearts of the faithful. At different times during 
forty days Jesus has appeared to his disciples, 
given them infallible proofs of his resurrection, 
and conversed with them in relation to the king- 
dom of God ; but now for the last time they listen 



THE ATTITUDE OF THE CHURCH. 189 

to his voice ; — a few moments more, and their 
Master shall be taken from their head. 

Methinks a solemn silence reigned on the moun- 
tain's side, Avhen he lifted up his hands and gave 
them his parting benediction ; for, says the inspired 
penman, '^ While thej beheld, he was taken up, 
and a cloud received him out of their sight." And 
Avhile they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as he 
went up, two angels came from the other side of 
the cloud, and announced his return again in the 
same manner in which he was seen to ascend. 
After his ascension the disciples returned to Jeru- 
salem, where, after waiting ten days, they were 
endowed with power from on high, and went forth 
everywhere preaching the gospel. In this way a 
knowledo:e of salvation throug;h Jesus Christ has 
spread to the ends of the earth, and a people has 
been raised up, who, in the day of his coming 
again, shall call him blessed. Let us inquire, 
What is the scriptural attitude of the church in 
relation to his return ? 

1. We are required to look for our Lord. 
' ^ Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many ; 
and unto them that look for him will he appear 
the second time without sin unto salvation." — 
Heb. 9 : 27. Looking forward has been and is 
now the proper attitude of the church. She is 
a stranger on the earth, and amidst all her wan- 
derings has never arrived at a place where she could 
feel satisfied and say, ^'Here is my rest." While 
reading the apostolic epistles, and contrasting them 
with the preaching of the present day, one cannot 
help thinking that the subject of our Lord's return 



190 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

occupied the minds of the primitive Christians 
more than it does the attention of those professing 
godliness now, although we are much nearer the 
event than they were. Dr. A. Clarke, in his notes 
on 1 Corinth., 15th chap., very appropriately says : 
'' One remark I cannot help making: the doc- 
trine of the resurrection appears to have been 
thought of much more consequence among the 
primitive Christians than it is now I How is 
this ? The apostles were continually insisting on 
it, and exciting the followers of God to diligence, 
obedience, and cheerfulness, through it ; and their 
successors in the present day seldom mention it ! 
So apostles preached ; and so primitive Christians 
believed. So we preach ; and so our hearers believe. 
There is not a doctrine in the gospel on which more 
stress is laid ; and there is not a doctrine in the 
present system of preaching which is treated with 
more neglect ! " 

2. We must loait for the Lord. ^' So that ye 
come behind in no gift ; waiting for the coming of 
our Lord Jesus Christ ; who shall also confirm you 
unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day 
of our Lord Jesus." — 1 Corinth. 1: 7,8. Waiting 
does not imply idleness and inactivity, but rather 
a ''patient continuance in well-doing;" it im- 
plies readiness. We are to wait for him in the 
way of his judgments, or commandments. — Isa. 
26 : 8. And it shall be said by many, in the day 
of his coming, ''Lo, this is our God, we have 
waited for him, and he will save us." 

3. We must watch for our Lord. '' Watch ye, 
therefore .... lest coming suddenly he find 



THE ATTITUDE OF THE CHURCH. 191 

• 

you sleeping." We may ^' know " when his 
coming is "nigh, even at the doors ; " but we 
^^ know not^'^ AYhen the exact time is; hence the 
importance and necessity of watchfulness. Our 
Lord has given several parables illustrative of this 
duty : — 1. The parable of the porter at the gate, 
watching for the return of his master. — Mark 13 : 
34—37. 2. That of the thief entering the house 
at an unknown hour. — Matt. 24 : 42 — 44. And, 
3. That of the Eastern wedding.— Matt. 25: 1 
— 13. As the virgins knew not the precise time 
of the bridegroom's coming except by watching, 
so it is said to us, " Watch therefore, for ye 
know neither the day nor the hour wherein the 
Son of man cometh." Living as -we do near the 
end of this dispensation, the words of Christ 
should come with thunder tones to our hearts, 
'' Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that 
watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk 
naked, and they see his shame." 

4. We are to be " hasting unto the coming of 
our Lord." ^' Seeing then that all these things shall 
be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to 
be in all holy conversation and godliness ; looking 
for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, 
wherein the heavens being on fire shall be^ dis- 
solved, and the elements shall melt with fervent 
heat? " — 2 Peter 3 : 11, 12. That the seer of 
Patmos was actuated by the Spirit of God when 
he exclaimed, '^ Come, Lord Jesus," surely no 
Christian will deny ; and if it was right for him 
thus to pray, it must be for us also. The souls 
under the altar cried, "How long, Lord, ere 



192 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 

thou judge and avenge our blood on them that 
dwell on the earth?'' The ''whole creation 
groaneth and travaileth in pain together until 
now/' waiting for the manifestation of the sons of 
Gk)d ; and Jesus taught his disciples to pray, 
'' Thy kingdom come ; " and when we consider that 
the kingdom is not established till the Eang comes, 
it is obvious that as often as we use this petition 
we pray for the appearing of Christ, and are thus 
hasting unto the coming of the day of God. 

Such, then, is the attitude of the true church of 
Christ as it is delineated on the sacred page. Her 
Lord is gone, and she must look for his appearing. 
Her faith must look down upon the promises, and 
upward to the - throne of God. By faith she 
climbs the hills, and, looking into the distance, 
exclaims, ' ' Why is his chariot so long in coming ? ' ' 
She waits for his return by doing the duties as- 
signed her. Other lovers have sought her hand, 
but she has refused them, and proved sincere in 
her attachment to her absent Lord. She watches 
for his coming by observing with joy the evidences 
of its nearness. As she knows by the budding of 
the trees that summer is near, so, when she sees 
the predicted signs appearing in heaven and on 
earthy which w^ere to precede his advent, she is 
satisfied that the time is at hand when she shall 
see the King in his beauty, and behold the land 
that was once afar off. She is hasting unto the 
day of his revelation ; for many are the longings 
of her heart for the introduction of a better state 
of things than now exists. While the waves of 
old ocean have dashed on the rock-bound coasts 



THE ATTITUDE OF THE CHURCH. 193 

of earth, her prayers have mingled with the 
groans of creation, and the petition has been 
wafted on many a breeze, and borne upward to 
the throne, requesting Immanuel soon to com- 
mence his promised millennial reign. When 
he takes the throne the church shall gain her 
long-sought home — a home on the renewed 
earth, where all are happy. Hearts that are 
breaking now under a sense of unworthiness, or 
the difficulties of the way to glory, will be bound- 
ing with joy then. Eyes that are now oft suf- 
fused with tears, will be wiped dry by '^ God's 
own soft hand." Families that have been broken 
and dissolved by the rude alarms of Death, will 
find Messiah a repairer of breaches ; — all the 
pious members of families will be brought together 
to part no more. A day thus glorious is, surely, 
to be desired. Till it comes the ravages of war 
and oppression, sin and death, will continue ; but 
when it comes in its fulness, the trumpet of war 
shall no longer summon armies to the battle-field ; 
the voice of oppression shall be hushed forever ; 
sin shall be driven from the earth, and death shall 
be swallowed up in victory. Till it comes the 
curse shall devour the earth, and the hearts of all 
shall be more or less affected wdth sorrow ; but 
when it comes the curse shall be removed, ''• and 
the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come 
to Zion, with songs and everlasting joy upon their 
heads : they shall obtain joy and gladness, and 
sorrow and sighing shall flee away.'' 0, for more 
of the spirit of the world to come, that will lead 
us to ardently desire the return of the Just One ! 
17 



194 MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 



ON THE GOVERNMENT OF THE TONGUE. 

It is wonderful with what rapidity a false 
report can be circulated and believed. A story, 
which at first contained but little error, may, 
after passing through the hearts and mouths of 
several persons, become very wide of the truth. 
It is somewhat like a snow-ball, which is started 
at the top of a hill, when there is but little snow 
on the ground ; the ball may not contain much 
dirt at first, but, as it rolls along down the side 
of the hill, it gathers up leaves, straws and chips 
in abundance, so that when it arrives at the bot- 
tom it is but little else than a filthy mass. 

A lie will run a hundred miles, and more, 
Before the truth has gone outside the door. 

David resolved to keep his mouth with a bridle 
while the wicked were before him (Psa. 39 : 1) ; 
but if he had lived in these days he would have 
found it necessary to have done so while his 
brethren were in his presence. Every one's 
tongue now needs to be bridled, or he will soon 
find his words strangely perverted. Some horses 
require double bits in their mouths, they are so 
headstrong; and so it is with some people. ^'For 
he that will love life, and see good days, let him 
refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they 
speak no guile.'' Those who are naturally very 
talkative are to be pitied, for ''in a multitude of 
words there wanteth not sin." It might be a 
check on our loquaciousness if we would but 
I'emember that for ''every idle" [or hurtful] 



THOUanTS AND SCRAPS. 195 

'^word that men shall speak, they shall give 
account thereof in the day of judgment. '' ^^ Let 
your speech be always with grace. ^' 



THOUGHTS AND SCEAPS. 



By breaking the commandments of God, man 
lost the liberty of eating of the tree of life ; and 
by keeping his commandments, through faith in 
Christ, that liberty is again restored : — ^- Blessed 
are they that do his commandments, that they 
may have right to the tree of life, and may enter 
in through the gates into the city." 



There might be written on the gate of heaven, 
'* A FREE GIFT, through Immanuel given ;" 
"While on the gate of hell we trace, 
" Deserved b}^ all the human race." 



Weak and tempted Christian, listen to a word 
of encouragement. Thou art yet in the wilder- 
ness of this world, and beset with dangers. But 
remember that the Lion of the tribe of Judah is 
stronger than the lion that roars against the saints 
of the Most High. Trust in him, and he will 
deliver thee. '-For greater is he that is in you 
than he who is in the world.'' 



The lion that Samson slew, afterwards yielded 
liim strength and refreshment, for, '^ out of the 
eater came forth meat.'' So from Judah' s Lion, 



196 THOUGHTS AND SCRAPS. 

who was slain by men, we draw refreshment and 

the sweets of salvation. 



The pillar of cloud, that guided the Israelites 
in their marches through the wilderness, when it 
came between the camp of the Egyptians and the 
camp of Israel, had a twofold aspect ; it '' was a 
cloud and darkness" to the Egyptians, but "it 
gave light by night " to Israel. — Exod. 14 : 19, 
20. So the second coming of Christ will present 
to the world a twofold aspect ; it will be an event 
of darkness and terror to the ungodly, but one of 
light and gladness to the upright in heart. 



Lean not upon the world, for in an unexpected 
moment it will slip aside, and cause you to fall ; 
but, like the beloved disciple, lean on the bosom 
of Christ, by faith, and you will be secure for- 
ever. 



This is a " world of shadows," but the world to 
come is one of substance. Seek a home and an 
inheritance there, whatever may be thy portion 
here. 



Hold fast that which thou hast that is good, 
that no man take thy crown ; for the coronation 
day is near. 

"He that endureth unto the end the same 
shall be saved." 



POETIC MUSINGS, 



THE TWO MOUNTAINS. 



THE MOUNTAIN OF THE LAW. 



Dark, fearful clouds begirt the mountain's height ; 
The vivid lightnings flashed upon the sight — 
Loud pealed the thunder on the morning air — 
Hushed were the notes of feathered songsters there, — 
Louder and louder still the trumpet's sound 
Reverberated through the gloom profound ; 
Mount Sinai quaked and trembled on its base, 
While wreaths of flame and smoke rolled up its face ; 
And thus creation seemed with trembling awe 
To wait the giving of Jehovah's law. 

Amid the grandeur of that awful hour. 

The Lord came down in majesty and power ; 

His voice was heard above the tempest's roar, 

Commanding all Jehovah to adore : — 

" Thou shalt love God with all thy heart and mind ; 

Thou shalt not to thy neighbor prove unkind. 

But be to him as faithful, mild and true. 

As thou wouldst have him ever be to you." 

The ten commandments did this truth express ; 

God wished for nothing more, and nothing less. 

Morality like this, of heavenly birth, 

Was found recorded in no books of earth ; 

17^ 



198 . POETIC MUSINGS. 

And on this principle, so just and pure, 
How could mankind eternal life secure? 

The Jewish hosts, to whom the law was given, 
Could not endure the strict command of Heaven : — 
^' If man or beast touch Sinai^s mount of fire, 
He must be stoned, or otherwise expire." 
We little wonder that they all withdrew, 
And at a distance stood the scene to view ; 
We little wonder, when the mountain shook, 
That Moses stood with fear and trembling look ; 
Nor do we wonder that the people said, 
*' Speak with us, Moses, thou shalt be obeyed ; 
But let not God speak with us, lest we die, 
Should he again in fiery flames draw nigh." 



The law was given, the storm-clouds passed away, 

The great Lawgiver left for realms of day ; 

And then through many a long and toilsome year 

The Jewish hosts in desert wilds appear ; 

But when near Jordan's stormy banks they stand, 

And are about to take the promised land, 

Moses, the servant of the Lord, must die ; 

But ere he does the Spirit from on high 

Broods o'er him, and with deep, prophetic light. 

The past and future rise before his sight ; 

He thinks of Sinai and his people's prayer, 

That he would speak with them, and for them care, 

And then exclaims, as by the Spirit led, 

*' The Lord is pleased with what your fathers said, 

And will raise up a Prophet unto you. 

Like unto me ; and all he bids you do 

Ye must perform, for those who disobey 

Shall be destroyed and perish from the way." 

THE MOUNTAIN OF THE BEATITUDES. 

After the lapse of many hundred years, 

The One long looked for on a mount appears ; 



THE T^yO MOUXTAINS. 199 

He iH well known as '' Christ, the Nazarene,'- 
And gathering round him multitudes are seen. 
No bounds are set to keep the crowds away ; 
No fearful storm has introduced the day ; 
No lightnings flash, no mighty thunders roar ; 
Mount Sinai's tempest now is heard no more. 

A holy radiance lights the Prophet's eye, 

As with a smile he sees the crowds draw nigh ; 

Then, seated in their midst, with power diyine, 

He blesses those in whom true virtues shine ; 

The pure in heart, the merciful, and meek, 

The poor in spirit who for pardon seek, 

And others too, whom worldly men despise, 

Are all regarded by the Lord as wise. 

He oft refers to laws by Moses given, 

And speaks as One who has come down from heaven ; 

He lifts the standard of religion high, 

And plainly shows what man must do, or die. 

The standard which he raised was simply this : 

^' Be perfect as your heavenly Father is.^^ 

0, what a law ! How pure, yet just and good ! 
And how can fallen man be just with God? 
On such a principle, what mortal stands? 
Who gives obedience such as this demands ? 
Methinks, if Christ had from the mountain's brow 
Ascended to the throne where he is now. 
None could obtain salvation, — none would dare 
To raise to Heaven a hopeful, earnest prayer. 

But, hark ! not only truth fell from his tongue, 
But ' ' grace and truth ' ' can be by Christians sung ; 
For, lo ! when Christ descended to the plain, 
A leper came, and did free grace obtain ; — 
" Lord, if thou wilt, thy power can make me clean," 
The man exclaimed ; then suddenly were seen 
Christ's own almighty power, and wondrous love. 
Which brought him from the realms of light above. 



200 POETIC MUSINGS. 

" I will," said he, and then the man was whole ; 
And Jesus showed that mercy filled his soul. 

Thus on the mountain's top the truth we hear, 
While in the vale true love and grace appear ; 
And as the great Lawgiver's course we trace. 
We always see his pathway marked with grace. 
Whene'er we read Jehovah's perfect law 
Our minds are filled with gloominess and awe ; 
We see our failings, and our sins bemoan, 
And our perfection find in Christ alone ; 
He bore our sins upon the cursed tree, 
He magnified the law and set us free ; 
Clothed in his righteousness, we hope to stand, 
In that great day, that is so near at hand. 
When all the earth shall as Mount Sinai burn, 
And man's proud citadels to ashes turn. 
When haughty man shall have no way to flee, 
Lord, may we find a hiding-place in thee ! 



LOOKING FORWARD. 

" Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing ^ 
of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ." 

Titus 2 : 13. 

I SAW a man of stately mien, 

Whose gait bespoke his youthful age ; 
No scowl upon his face was seen, 

No pent-up storm of fitful rage. 
With cheerful looks and placid brow, 

A husband and a lord he was ; 
Hundreds at his commands would bow, 

And yield submission to his laws. 

With all his wealth, — how strange to say ! — 
He had no city as his home, 



LOOKING FORWARD. 201 

Bat dwelt in tents from day to day, 

Or with his flocks and herds would roam ! 
To those who looked on him with pity, 
He said, ^' I seek a heavenly city / " * 

Years fled, and he became a sire, — 

A lovely youth stood by his side ; 
It was the parent's fond desire 

That Isaac should with them abide. 
But, see I on yonder mountain's brow, 

How strange a sacrifice is made ! 
An altar raised — and on it now 

That lovely son is bound and laid ! 
With knife upraised the father stands, 

Ready to strike the fatal blow, — 
Kind Heaven ! is it thy command 

That lays a parent's hope so low? 
Hark ! hark ! — a voice ! — it comes from heaven : 

^' Stay, Abraham ! withhold thy hand ; 
A substitute to thee is given ; 

Thou hast obeyed the Lord's command." 
Isaac released, the trial o'er, 

I saw them from the mountain go ; 
But how he could the test endure 

I earnestly desired to know. 
I asked what buoyed his spirits up ; 
He smiled, and said, '* The blessed hope.''^ f 

Another person met my gaze, — 

Near me appeared the man of Uz, 
And when I asked about his case, 

He answered me, in substance, thus : 
'* I was a prince of great estate ; 

A lovely wife and friends were mine ; 
Children and servants, too, would wait. 

Or else perform what I designed. 
But Satan, with malicious art. 

Used means to take my flocks away ; 

* Hebrews 11 : 8—10. f lb. 11 : 17—19. 



202 POETIC MUSINGS. 

I saw my power at once depart — 

Ten children died in one short day ; 
My wife is turned against me now, 

My health is gone, and here I lie ; 
But to God's will I humbly bow — 

I '11 trust in him, though I should die. 
I know that my Redeemer lives. 

Though I must die with other men ; 
Though earth my falling dust receives, 

I know that I shall live again." 
I asked him what dispersed his gloom ; 
He calmly said, '' The Lord will come.^^ * 

Moses was next ; of good report, 

His way of life I heard him tell ; 
He was brought up in Pharaoh's court, 

And knew Egyptian science well. 
But he forsook the stately hall, 

The lordly mansions, wealth, and pride ; 
Choosing to go at duty's call, 

Whatever ills might him betide. 
He led the Jewish nation through 

The wilderness, for forty years ; 
And all their trials and dangers knew, — 

Mingling with them in hopes and fears. 
He heard them murmur and complain. 

And felt their anger on him fall, 
But chose still with them to remain — 

Patiently enduring all. 
I asked what caused him to endure ; 
He said, '' God reigns — the prize is sure / " f 

Lo ! glory bursts o'er Judah's plains ; 

A heavenly host is hovering there, 
Revealing to the pious swains 

The tidings they were sent to bear : 
«' The Christ is born ! the "Word'is made 

A light to shine on distant lands ; 

* Job 19 : 23—28. t Heb. 11 ; 24—26. 



LOOKING FORWARD. 203 

Go, find him in the manger laid, 

Go, find him wrapped in swaddling bands." 
I saw the child to manhood grow ; 

He was immersed in Jordan's stream, 
Then gladly wandered to and fro. 

While free salvation was his theme. 
He healed the sick, he raised the dead, 

He caused the deaf to hear his voice ; 
At his approach the demons fled. 

He made the mourners to rejoice. 
I saw him in Gethsemane, 

And three disciples with him there ; 
I heard him groan in agony, 

And raise to heaven an earnest prayer. 
Betrayed, denied, and left by all. 

His last and solemn hour drew nigh ; 
He was, in Pilate's judgment hall. 

Unrighteously condemned to die. 
Behold, the cross on Calvary's brow 

Bears up the suffering, dying Lamb ! 
Earth quakes, rocks rend, and darkness now 

Enshrouds the earth in awful gloom ! 
'T is finished now, the struggle 's o'er ; 

His sighs, and groans, and tears are filed ; 
He feels the thorns and spear no more. 

For he is nurdbered with the dead. 
His body soon was borne away. 

And laid within the rich man's tomb ; 
But on the third, the appointed day. 

He did his life and power resume. ^ 
I saw him in the immortal state. 

And, wondering at these scenes so strange, 
I humbly asked him to relate 

The cause of such a wondrous change. 
He said, •' That I might bliss restore thee — 
'T wasybr the joy thus set before me." * 

But time would fail me, should I try. 
To tell the effects of this " good hope ; " 

* Heb. 12 : 2. 



204 POETIC MUSINGS. 

How many, who were called to die, 
Did wifch it keep their courage up. 

1 saw a Paul forsaking all. 

And counting earthly treasures dross, 

Prepared to go, at Jesus' call, 

To preach the doctrines of the cross. 

I asked what hope his heart could stay ; 

He smiled and said, " Hook for day.''^ * 

Three million martyrs next were seen, 

Who under Paganism fell. 
And who by God's free grace had been 

Sustained against the powers of hell. 
I thought of fifty millions more. 

Who under Papal power were slain ; 
How could they all their griefs endure ? 

What was the hope that did sustain ? 
I heard a cry, — it came from heaven, — 

It was the voice of martyred ones ; 
They sighed for what had not been given 

Even to those who were God's sons ; 
Their cry was this : '' Lord, how long 
Ere thou avenge our every wrong ? " | 

Again I listened to a prayer. 

Which seemed to come from every land ; 
It was borne onward through the air. 

From sunny India's coral strand, — 
From Europe's many pious sons. 

Who walk along " the narrow way," — 
From the numerous holy ones 

Scattered throughout America, — 
From Afric's coast, and Asia's plains. 

Where first the gospel truth was preached, — 
From all the islands of the main 

Where those reside whom truth has reached, — 
From heaven and earth, from sea and sky. 

From trees, and fields, and springing sod, 

* Philip. 3 : 7—11 ; Rom. 13 : 11, 12. 
t Rev. 6 : 9—11. 



A christian's faith. 205 

I heard the prayer ascending high, 

Borne upward to the throne of God ; 
It came from those who sighed for home, 
The prayer was this : " Thy kingdom come." * 



A CHRISTIAN'S FAITH. 



Jesus died upon the tree. 

Thus procuring life for me. 

He was crowned with piercing thorn, 

Glory shall my brow adorn. 

He was often seen in tears, 

That I might dismiss my fears. 

He was heard to groan and si^h, 

I shall sin^ his praise on high. 

He on Calvary was slain, 

I will in his kingdom reign. 

He was made a curse for me, 

I '11 be Messed eternally. 



THE DEATHLESS CITY. 



" And I John saw the holy city. New Jerusalem, coming 
down from Grod out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for 
her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying. 
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men .... and there 
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall 
there be any more pain ; for the former things are passed 
away." — Rev. 21 : 2—4. 

There is a^city, glorious to behold, 

With jasper walls and street of shining gold ; 

God is its maker — there he holds his throne, 

And everlasting ages are its own. 

The ransomed ones of every age shall come, 

And in it find their long-sought, peaceful home, — 

* Matt. 6 : 10 ; Rom. 8 : 19—23. 

18 



206 POETIC MUSINGS. 

A home where weary ones shall ever rest, 
No more by doubts and gloomy fears oppressed. 
Though mortal man can ne'er conceive the bliss 
Prepared for those whom God shall own as his, 
We know that death shall not invade that land, 
And all the saints are an immortal band. 

The '' bread of life " is there ; this heavenly food 
Will be pronounced by all as '' very good ; " 
No bread on earth can with it be compared ; 
'T is by the King of kings himself prepared. 
Made for the royal banquet which he gives ; 
Whoever eats thereof forever lives. 
'Tis '' hidden manna," suited to the taste 
Of all invited to the nuptial feast. 

The *' crown of life^^ is there ; it ne'er will fade, 

Like laurel crowns that art for victors made ; 

Its brightness ne'er grows dim through lapse of years ; 

No thief can steal it, and no rust appears 

To mar its beauty. Hence all must allow 

A brighter crown ne'er decked a monarch's brow. 

Each, suffering saint will soon this crown obtain, 

And in the everlasting kingdom reign. 

The '' strecjn of life " is there ; it gently flows, 

And all who drink thereof are freed from woes. 

This river rises at the throne of God, 

And flows forever through the saints' abode ! 

Whoever drinks from cisterns made by men 

Is sure to find his thirst return again ; 

But he who drinks at life's pure, crystal stream 

Feels health and joy at once spring up in him. 

The " tree of life " is there ; a beauteous tree ! 
Twelve kinds of fruit upon its boughs we see ; 
Its leaves are useful, as they '' help " the saved. 
Who through the blood of Christ all dangers braved. 
It once stood in the ancient Paradise ; 
But in '' the city " now we see it rise, 
And, through the second Adam, men have right to eat 
Of life's fair tree, and find their joys complete. 



BE OF GOOD COURAGE. 207 

The *^ hook of life " is there ; its leaves contain 
The names of those, who, washed from every stain, 
Daily pursued the strait and narrow way 
Which leads from death to realms of endless day. 
0, happy they, whose names are found therein, 
Who loved the truth and feared to walk in sin ! 
They shall not be condemned when God shall come 
To judge the world and take his people home. 

The *^ Prince of life " is there, enthroned in light, 

While ransomed myriads worship in his sight ; 

They feel no sickness, and they fear no pain, 

For death has lost his power o'er them to reign. 

No bosom there can heave with pent-up grief ; 

No sorrowing heart can vainly seek relief ; 

No eyes are dimmed with tears ; for God's Own hand 

Has banished sorrow from the princely band. 

No funerals there, nor graveyards shall be seen ; 

No dying child shall on a parent lean ; 

No heart shall dread the future ; for all know 

That only bliss is theirs where'er they go. 

And thus through endless years they sing and shine, 

For he who saved them is a Prince divine. 



BE OF GOOD COURAGE. 



>CJ 



Christian, why so sad and lonely ? 

Does thy courage almost fail ? 
Does the future now look dreary ? 

Know that prayer may yet prevail. 

-Tried one, come in faith, believing 
In the name of God's dear Son ; 

He will bear your burdens for you. 
Come, 0, come, thou doubting one ! 

Pilgrim, are you sore afflicted? 

Are the loved ones from you torn?^^^ 
Know that Jesus sympathizes, — "~ ' 

He when here was seen to mourn. 



208 POETIC MUSINGS. 

'*— -^--Watcher, look away to Jesus, 

" To the mount of hallowed joy ; 

See ! the day is breaking o'er thee, 

In which nothing shall annoy. 

Pilgrim, look into the future ; 

See, '' the signs " are in the past ; 
Then lift up thy head rejoicing ; 

For the day will dawn at last. 

Christian, signs bespeak Christ's coming, 

Even now, is nigh at hand ; 
Fear not, fear not, 0, be patient. 

Till you join the blood- washed band ! ^ }>^}^l^ 



HOME. 

The weary traveller from the hill- top sees 
A little cottage rising 'mid the trees ; 
It fills his breast with hope, his heart with joy, 
.And pleasant songs his loosened tongue employ. 
He now goes forward with a quickened pace, 
While peaceful smiles light up his care-worn face. 
But why this change ? Will he no longer roam ? 
The cause is this : that cottage is his home. 

So with the Christian, as he journeys here. 
And faith presents the " holy city " near. 
The glorious vision makes his soul rejoice ; 
In songs of praise he sometimes tunes his voice ; 
He hopes ere long to join the blood-washed throng, 
To sing with them the new redemption song ; 
And as the city shines 'mid heaven's high dome. 
He oft exclaims, " That city is my Home,^^ 



ROOTED IN CHRIST. 209 

ROOTED IN CHRIST. 

I SAW a stately tree 

Grow by a river's side ; 
The boughs appeared to be 

Spread out in youthful pride ; 
Watered by rain and dew, 
It flourished and it grew 

In deejD, rich soil. 

I saw another one 

High on a sandy bank ; 
But so parched by the sun 

'T was of inferior rank : 
The rain soon passed away 
And dev/ could only stay 

A little while. 

Thus he who trusts in man 

Will find his succor fail ; 
He 's cursed, and therefore can 

Have naught but what is frail ; 
He soon will fade and die, 
And then in sorrow lie — 

A dismal place. 

A Christian here below. 

Like the first tree we view ; 
We see him daily grow 

In grace, and wisdom too ; 
He is ROOTED in the Lord, 
Supported by his word, 

Watered by grace. 

In such a soil as this 

We expect him to thrive ; 
He is enjoying bliss, 

But for more he will strive ; 
Here his roots ever spread, 
And never will be dead — 

One with the Lord. 

18^ 



210 POETIC MUSINGS. 

He bears the fruits of peace, 

E'en to a good old age ; 
And when this state shall cease, 

. And storms no longer rage, 
Transplanted, he will stand 
In the fair promised land ; 
Thus saith the word. 



CONFIDENCE IN GOD'S GRACE. 

PSALM XXIII. 

The Lord our God 
INIy Shepherd is ; 

I shall not want 
While I am his. 

In pastures green 
He makes me go ; 

And leads me where 
Still waters flow. 

He doth restore 

My weary soul, 
And when cast down 

He makes me whole. 

Yea, though I walk 
In death's dark vale, 

With Jesus' aid 
I fear no ill. 

For then I have 

A staff and rod. 
Whereon I lean — 
The word of God. 



SLEEPING CHRISTIANS IN CHURCH. 211 

And when I walk 

'Midst subtle foes, 
I feel that He 

My weakness knows. 

His mercy doth 

Extend to me ; 
And in God's house 

I e'er will be. 



LINES 

SUGGESTED BY SEEING CHRISTIANS ASLEEP IN THE HOUSE 
OF PRAYER. 

Asleep in church ! What do I see ? 
A Christian sleeping ! Can it be 
That he is washed in Jesus' blood, 
And came to-day to worship God ? 
What does it mean? Does Satan sleep ? 
Nay, he doth constant vigils keep : — 
At home, in church, where'er we go, 
We find him still a wakeful foe. 
Do angels sleep ? Behold, they stand 
Prepared to fly at God's command, 
And minister to those who are 
Committed to their watchful care. 
Is God asleep ? Blasphemous thought ! 
Begone ! — thou art mth evil fraught. 
Will any sleep in hell ? , hark ! 
What means the sound from yonder dark, 
Terrific, dismal pit, of woe, 
Whither the damned are bid to go ? 
If all in heaven and all in hell 
Are wakeful, surely, 't is not well 
For man to sleep. JBut I forget — 
Men are not gods, nor devils yet ; 
Earth lies between the two extremes 
Of heaven and hell, and really seems 



212 POETIC MUSINGS. 

To feed both places day by day. 

And mortal man, when borne away 

By weariness, is apt to feel 

Sleep with his pinions o'er him steal. 

But tell me, why do men not sleep 

When listening to a tale, but keep 

Their eyes wide open, and appear 

As if tjfiey wished each word to hear ? 

In yonder church, behold a man 

So fast asleep, that really one 

Might think him dead, and that the friends 

Wait till the burial service ends ! — 

But I must stop. Christian, awake ! 

Thy soul this moment is at stake. 

"• The flesh is weak," we often cry, 

But let us make an effort, — Try. 



LINES 

SUGGESTED BY SEEING THE MOON SHINING ON THE WATER. 

I LIFT mine eyes to look on high, 
And see the moon in yonder sky. 

In majesty serene ; 
Amid the countless stars that shine, 
Supported by a power divine; 

In splendor she is seen. 

I turn again, and look below, 

To where the gentle streamlets flow, 

And on the water gaze ; 
When, lo ! the moon is shining here, 
In her appearance full and clear, 

Though heaven is her place. 

So should the Christian ever be, 
Showing to all around that he 

Is of a heavenly birth ; 
His words and acts should all declare, 
My King, ruy home, and heart, are there , 
Though I appear on earth. 



MY TIMES ARE IN THY HAND. 213 



MY TIMES ARE IN THY HAND. 

Lord, my times are in thy hand ; 
By thy power alone I stand ; 
If beneath the burning sun 
I must toil till work is done ; 
Or when clouds the heavens deform, 
I am called to face the storm. 
All these changes mind thy nod ; 
Thou art with me, my God ! 

Lord, my times are in thy hand ; 
Changes come at thy command ; 
Times of sickness, times of health, 
Times of poverty, or wealth. 
Times of trial, times of joy, 
Times when cares my thoughts employ, 
Times when I must bear thy rod ; 
Thou art with me, my God ! 

Lord, my times are in thy hand. 
If I dwell on sea or land ; 
If I travel east or west. 
Duty calls and I am blest. 
Dangers may beset m}^ way, 
Thou wilt guard me night and day ; 
I am safe, at home, abroad. 
Thou art with me, my God ! 



IF A MAN DIE SHALL HE LIVE AGAIN? 

I SAW a flower of graceful form 

Change color, droop, and die ; 
Its leaves were scattered by the storm 

Beneath a cloudy sky. 
I looked again, and saw it rise, 

A tender plant, but fair. 
And when its buds increased in size, 

Its fracrrance filled the air. 



214 - POETIC MUSINGS. 

I saw, far in the western sky. 

The sun in splendor set ; 
And saw night's sable mantle lie 

Where rich and poor had met. 
I looked again, at dawn of day, 

The sun rose in the east, 
And chased the shades of night away, 

Thus cheering man and beast. 

I saw a caterpillar come 

To its full size, and then 
It spun itself a silken tomb, 

In which it might remain. 
I looked again, but the silken cone 

Did not as usual lie : 
The caterpillar now had gone. 

Changed to a butterfly. 

Thus, Christian, shall it be with thee ! 

Though death may be thy lot. 
And dust may soon thy covering be. 

Let this alarm thee not. 
The morn will dawn, the spring will come, 

The resurrection day, 
When all the saints, raised from the tomb, 

Will on the new earth stay. 



CHRIST ALONE OUR ROCK. 

Child of God, do. storms arise, 

Tempests gather in the skies. 

Fears within and foes without 

Fill thy mind with gloom and doubt ? 

Do afflictions wildly roll 

As a river o'er thy soul ? 

Still stand firm 'mid every shock* — 

Christ alone will be our Rock. 

Lambs of Christ, in great distress, 
In this lonely wilderness. 



CUM VENERIT JESUS. 215 

Now the wolves may loudly roar ; 
Soon their triumph will be o'er ; 
Soon the new earth will be seen, 
With its vales and pastures green ; 
There the Lord will keep his flock, 
Christ alone will be our Rock. 

Church of Christ, thy Lord has gone, 
But he bade thee travel on ; 
Watch and pray till he appears. 
Then will cease thy grief and fears, 
Then thou wilt no longer roam, 
As a stranger far from home ; 
Then thy foes will cease to mock, 
Christ alone will be thy Rock. 

Christian, lo ! the Lord is nigh ; 
When along the darkened sky 
Lightnings flash and thunders roll. 
Striking terror to the soul, 
Then earth reeling to and fro. 
Lays the haughty sinner low ; 
But thou canst endure the shock, 
Christ alone will be thy Rock. 



"CUIVI VENERIT JESUS UMBR^ INCLINABUNTUR." 

[The following lines were composed on seeing the above 
golden sentence, which is written on one of the walls of the- 
Abbey, built in the reign of David I., in the 12th century, at 
Melrose, in Scotland, as mentioned by Mr. R. Hutchinson in 
his journal, published in the " Advent Herald" of Dec. 9th, 
1846 ; the translation of which is, "When Jesus comes the shadows 
will flee.' '-\ 

" My beloved is mine, and I am his : he feedeth among the 
lilies. Until the day break and the shadows flee away, 
turn, my beloved ; and be thou like a roe, or a young hart oa 
the mountains of Bether." — Canticles 2 : 16, 17. 

I LOYE those words, — they fall upon my ear 
Like heavenly music from some distant sphere ; 



216 POETIC MUSINGS. 

They bear glad tidings to my weary heart ; 
They bid deep sorrow from my mind depart. 
As fragrant odors fill the morning air, 
Imparting pleasures in which all may share, 
■ So this grand sentence may to all convey 
A precious truth, to drive their grief away ; 
'T is not a phantom of the human mind, 
But one great truth by God himself designed. 

I love those words, because they teach that while 
Night's shadows gathered o'er Britannia's isle. 
And Papal errors were with boldness taught. 
And these sad times were with dire evils fraught ; 
Yet there were some who waited for that day, 
When Christ will come to take the curse away : 
By one at least the hope was entertained 
That for the church a better state remained : 
And with this faith, he feared not to record 
That he was looking for a coming Lord. 

I love those words ; for as in some dark night, 
When heaven's blue arch is hidden from our sight. 
The clouds disperse, and, lo ! a brilliant star 
Sends down its light upon us from afar ; 
So does this sentence, with prophetic power. 
Point to the future swift-approaching hour. 
When Christ in glory shall to earth descend. 
To give his people rest, and put an end 
To their dark night, and then mankind shall see 
That when Messiah comes the shadows flee. 



THE CROSS WITHOUT A SCREEN. 

The cross, the cross present. 

That all the world may see 
How God in mercy sent 
His Son to die for me ! 
Present the cross without a screen, 
And let the love of God be seen. 



THE LILY AMONG THORNS. 217 

The cross, the cross lift up, 
That it may catch the eye 
Of those, without a hope, 
Who for deliverance sigh ; 
The cross alone will end their grief ; 
Christ crucified can give relief. 

The cross, the cross makes known 

The justice of our God ; 
Naught could for sin atone 
But our Redeemer's blood ; 
He loves the sinner — hates his sin — 
And to his kingdom lets him in. 

The cross should always stand 

Connected with the crown, — 
The road to Canaan's land 
From Calvary comes down. 
The multitude on Zion seen. 
Must view " the cross without a screen." 



THE LILY AMONG THORNS. 

** As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daugh- 
ters." 

Pilgrim, are thy trials severe ? 
Fight you must, but do not fear ; 
Take encouragement from this, 
Christ knows where thy dwelling is ; 
Among the thorns that thickly grow, 
He doth every lily know. 

Do not wonder if you find. 
When the thorns move in the wind, 
You are jostled to and fro — 
Made to feel your want and woe ; 
Such we may expect to be 
In this vale of misery. 

19 



218 POETIC MUSINGS. 

But a day is rolling on 
When thy sorrows shall be gone — 
When the earth shall be made fair, 
And the lilies gathered there, 
In that land to bloom and thrive, 
Where no foes shall e'er arrive. 

Pilgrim, still thy way pursue, 
Christ will bring thee safely through , 
He doth with the lilies feed. 
Thus to help in time of need ; 
Trust in him, and thou shalt be 
Blest to all eternity. 



NATURE, GRACE, AND GLORY. 

Who has not seen a stormy night. 

When all around was dreary. 
Without a star to shed its light 

On pilgrims worn and weary ? 
This dreary night would represent 

Man's natural condition ; 
When he in sin his moments spent, 

Without sincere contrition. 

Who has not seen the clear, full iQOon 

Arising in her splendor. 
And watched the darkness, very soon. 

At her approach, surrender? 
'T is so with man, when once he feels 

Free grace in operation ; 
God pardons sin, and then reveals 

The blessings of salvation. 

Who has not seen the sun arise, — 
The moon withdraw her shining : 

And watched the sun ascend the skies, 
Both light and heat combining ? 



WIN AND WEAR IT. 219 

So nature often yields to grace^ 

And grace must yield to glory ! 
Three changes in the world we trace, 

And in religion's story. 



WIN AND WEAR IT. 



" * Win and wear it ' is inscribed on the crown of glory that 
fadeth not away." — Bishop Latimer. 

Christian, hast thou received command 
To say God's kingdom is at hand ? 

Go, declare it ; 
Though men condemn thee, ne'er go back ; 
True honor lies in virtue's track ; 

Win and wear it. 

Art thou defamed, reviled, despised, 
By those who once thy talents prized ? 

Stand and bear it ; 
Seek Jehovah's approbation. 
It will fit thee for thy station ; 

Win and wear it. 

Do pain and trouble make thee groan ? 
Hast thou to grieve, and grieve alone, — 

None to share it ? 
Do not repine, for soon life's crown 
Will bring thee joy and great renown ; 

Win and wear it. 

Though earth is cursed, its groans will cease, 
For, soon will come the Prince of peace, 

And repair it ; 
Then a robe of spotless- white 
Will adorn each child of light ; 

Win and wear it. 



220;. POETIC MUSINGS. 



LINES 

ON THE DEATH OF ANNA C. ATWOOD, OF MAGOG, C' E., WHO FELL 
ASLEEP IN JESUS, FEB. 29TH, 1852, AGED 58 YEARS. 

She slumbers, she slumbers, in yon narrow tomb, 
Awaiting the moment when Jesus will come. 
Pavilioned in splendor, encircled with might. 
To gather his chosen to live in his sight. 

She slumbers, she slumbers, her trials are o'er ; 
Doubts, fears and temptations, distress her no more ; 
Though sharp was the conflict, yet God was her stay — 
He led her in safety along the dark way. 

She slumbers, she slumbers, but soon will arise, 
To hail her Eedeemer, descending the skies ; 
And we shall behold her, redeemed from the sod. 
When earth blooms again 'neath the smile of its God. 



THE DEATH OF MIRABEAU. 

** ' Sprinkle me with perfumes, crown me with flowers, sur- 
round me with music, that I may enter on eternal sleep.' A 
shade stole over his black brow; a tremor shook his frame, and 
the sensual Mirabeau slept in calmness his sleep of death." — 
Christian Chronicle. 

** Let me die the death of the righteous; let my last end be 
like his." 

Come, my friends, and with me go 
To the hall of pain and woe ; 
'T is the dying Mirabeau 
Lies before thee. 

See a man of noble powers. 
Who in folly spent his hours, 
Asking to be crowned with flowers 
On his death-bed ! 



THE VOICE OF MY BELOVED. 221 

He has tasted, in a measure, 
Joys which flow from earthly treasure. 
And has drained the cup of pleasure 
E'en to the lees. 

See him now, his body pained, 
Through his vices unrestrained, 
And his guilty conscience stained 
VTith awful sins. 

Hear his words — (let angels weep 
While he takes the awful leap) — 
'^ Death is an eternal sleep ; " 
And thus he died ! 

Stranger, dost thou enyy one 
Who was gifted, yet undone, — 
Who had honor, yet his sun 
Went down in night ? 

*' No,'' methinks I hear you say, 
'' I will walk the narrow way 
To the realms of endless day, 
Where all is bright. 

" Though afflictions oft may be 
In the cup prepared for me, 
A death like his I would not see 
For all the world." 



THE VOICE OE MY BELOVED. 

(Founded on Canticles 2 : 8—14, 16, 17.) 

What sound 5s this salutes my ear ? 
'T is my Beloved's voice I hear ; 
He comes to cheer my drooping soul. 
He comes to make the wounded whole ; 

19* 



222 POETIC MUSINGS. 

By faith I hear him gently say, 
'* Arise, my love, and come away ; 
For, lo ! the wintry storms are past, 
The rain of sin, with chilling blast ; 
The curse no more on earth shall rest, 
Which shall like Paradise be drest ; 
The flowers appear to deck thy home, 
The time for birds to sing is come ; 
The turtle's voice we now can hear ; 
The verdant fig-trees, too, appear ; 
The vines and tender grapes in bloom 
Diffuse around a sweet perfume ; 
Arise, my fair one, come away. 
And hail with joy the glorious day ! " 
By this I know my Lord is mine, 
Joined as the branches of a vine ; 
And where his saints as lilies grow, 
His love and fellowship they know. 
Till that illustrious morn shall dawn, 
When sin's dark shadows are withdrawn, 
Be, my Beloved, like a roe 
On Bether's mount, where spices grow ; 
So quickly come to my relief. 
Bounding o'er hills of sin and grief. 



THE MORNING STAR. 

" And I will give hitn the morning star." — Rev. 2 : 28. 

0, WHAT a dreadful, joyful day. 

When Christ our King will come, 
In glittering robes, with white array. 
To take his saints from earth away 
To their eternal home. 

He is the '' bright and morning Star," 

The Heir of David's line ; 
We see his beaut}^ from afar, 
And hail with joy his conquering car, 

In panoply divine. 



COME, LOUD JESUS. 223 

To those who now on him believe, 

The Day-star will be given, 
When they his likeness shall receive, 
Their bodies changed, made fit to live 

With Him who dwells in heaven. 

I shall be satisfied when I 

Shall in his image rise ; 
But till then through grace Avill try 
To seek those things which are on high. 

And thus obtain the prize. 



COME, LORD JESUS. 

" 0, my Saviour ! hasten the time of thy return ; send forth 
thy angels, and let that dreadful, joyful trumpet sound. Delay 
not, lest the living give up their hopes ; delay not, lest earth 

should grow like hell ' Return, Lord ! ' how long ? 

Thy kingdom come ! Thy desolate bride saith. Come ; for thy 
Spirit saith. Come, and teacheth her thus to pray, with groan- 
ings that cannot be uttered. Yea, the whole creation saith. 
Come ; waiting to be delivered from the bondage of corruption 
into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Thou thyself 
hast said, ' Surely, I come quickly.' Amen. Even so, come. 
Lord Jesus." — Richard Baxter, A. d. 1656. 

Jesus, my Lord and Master, 

Thy second coming haste ; 
Ye wheels of time fly faster. 

And bring the promised rest. 

Come with thy holy angels. 

To take thy people home ; 
For, in the midst of dangers. 

As pilgrims here they roam. 

Come, lest they should grow weary, 

And give up in despair. 
For now this earth, so dreary, 

The gloom of hell doth wear. 



224 POETIC MUSIXGS. 

Thy children, too, are crying, 
'• Thy kingdom come, Lord I '' 

Thy Spirit is replying, 

*' He will fulfil his "word.-' 

Yea, now the whole creation 
Is groaning to be free, 

All in full expectation 
Of glorious liberty. 

And thou thyself hast spoken, 
*' Surely, I quickly come ; " 

Hence we observe each token 
That we are nearing home. 

We feel that we are strangers 
In this lone vale of tears, 

Where there are countless dangers 
To fill the soul with fears. 

Yet is our prospect brightened 
By viewing Christ at hand ; 

And, with our minds enlightened, 
In joyful hope we stand. 











.y^^ 



^ s 1^^ \ tf '^^ ^ ' Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 

*^ "^'^^^^^^x ^ Neutralizing agent: iVlagnesium Oxide 

N>' aV ^ t^X^^A ^o "^ Treatment Date: March 2005 

c'b'^ ^ ^S^ - --s PreservationTechnologies 

' ^ ■ ■ ^' '^ ^^Sfffc^ '*=' '" ^ '^ WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

'J^ ^ ^ ^^^'^y^^s 11 1 Thomson Park Drive 

« ^ ^' %<> ^ * ^^^ cX^ V Cranberry Township, PA 16066 



7/i^ 



mi homson i 

Cranberry Township, PA 16066 

(724)779-2111 




■x^^'.^^jxm^-^. 






r. -^^^ 









^<^V 






^^ v^^ 












\' 



■^^ .^\^' 



'^! 






- ^ ^Oo, 









^•i 









LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



013 919 410 A 



„Ir,Sf\!iiy °^ CONGRESS 



029 557 426 4 






^■m^^ 



■:i^4V 



]£'.■ 















